Fan Petitions for Prince to Replace Christopher Columbus Statue

A fan in Minnesota has launched an online petition to replace a Christopher Columbus statue with one honoring Prince instead, Fader reports. A native Minnesotan, Prince died at his Paisley Park estate last year. “Rather than glorify a man who wanted to extinguish Black and Native peoples, we should honor members of our community whose leadership we find inspirational,” Wintana Melekin wrote as part of the campaign’s reasoning. The petition has so far garnered over 3,000 signatures. It comes at a time when cities are reconsidering monuments connected to the country’s more contentious figures. Last month, a Missy Elliott fan began a petition to replace a Confederate statue in her hometown of Portsmouth, Virginia, with one of her.

Since Prince’s death last April, Minnesota has paid tribute to him in numerous ways, including “Prince Day,” a “Purple Rain” Vikings halftime show, and purple umbrellas at a Twins game.