Peduto recommends Columbus statue removal after Art Commission vote
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Following months of heated debate, the City of Pittsburgh’s Art Commission voted unanimously on Wednesday to remove the Christopher Columbus statue in Schenley Park.
MENTAL HEALTH
Is mental health care available for Pittsburghers who have experienced racial trauma?
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Racial trauma is a form of race-based stress that refers to reactions to real or perceived experiences of racial discrimination. The difference between racial trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD], psychologists say, is that PTSD typically refers to past events. Due to the prevalence of racism, racial trauma refers to ongoing experiences. Experiences include threats of harm and injury, humiliating and shameful events and witnessing discrimination.
In weighing fate of Pittsburgh’s Columbus statue, first a disagreement over who decides
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More than 300 Pittsburgh residents reached out to the Art Commission at or before a virtual meeting Wednesday to discuss the controversial Christopher Columbus statue in Schenley Park and calls for its removal.
And, after three hours and disagreement over whether the six-member commission or Mayor Bill Peduto had the final call on the statue’s fate, the commissioners voted unanimously to hold a public hearing on the statue’s future on a future date to be determined. For some people, Christopher Columbus is a figure who represents Italian pride and the promise of a better life in America. For others, however, the man and his likeness in the form of a statue in Schenley Park ignore his violence toward Indigenous populations and sugarcoat a racist legacy. “This is not about cancel culture; this is about bettering our community,” Rachel Williams, a Pittsburgh resident, said. “We have an opportunity to recognize the pain and the suffering of the Taíno people at the hands of Columbus.
Columbus, Foster, Parran: Pittsburgh’s reckoning with historic symbols intertwined with racism
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As Black Lives Matter protests take place from coast to coast, America has been reevaluating its racist legacy — including monuments to members of the Confederacy and other historic figures whose legacies are associated with racism and oppression. These monuments have been coming down either by the orders of the cities they’re located in or by protesters removing them directly.
EDUCATION
Chatham is finishing its self-injury policy review. What you need to know about the task force and student concerns.
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On Sept. 6, the day after PublicSource published a story on the school's self-harm policy, Chatham University President David Finegold released a statement, announcing the creation of a task force to review the policy.
EDUCATION
Students can face disciplinary action for self-injury at Chatham University. Three students share their stories.
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According to the honor code at Chatham University, students can be removed from campus housing or expelled for self-injury, expressing suicidal thoughts or threats or attempting suicide. The policy explicitly states that mental health conditions, or the use of drugs and alcohol, will not “diminish or excuse a violation” of the honor code.
