Leaders of the Confederacy. Slave traders. Forces of imperialism. All have fallen in the United States and beyond, their statues toppled during protests against racism. Christopher Columbus is not safe. Protesters in various cities have torn down, destroyed and defaced statues of the explorer. In West Orange, signs that say “Murderer” and “This is stolen land!" have been posted on a monument to Columbus.

The Italian explorer, whose name and 1492 voyage children have long been instructed to remember with a popular rhyme, has traditionally been venerated by Italian Americans. But his history as a perpetrator of genocide is an increasingly recognized fact of his legacy.