Italian-American Catholics in New York City are up in arms over what they see as a snub of St Francis Xavier Cabrini, who will not be getting a statue in this round of statues honouring women in the city’s history.
During the period of public input, Mother Cabrini received by far the most nominations, though she was not chosen. One of those chosen instead was Sylvia Rivera, founder of the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries, one of two non-women chosen, along with drag queen Marsha P Johnson. Others included jazz singer Billie Holiday (a Catholic) and the first black congresswoman, Shirley Chisolm.
The process was overseen by Chirlane McCray, the First Lady of New York City and wife of Mayor Bill de Blasio. Chazz Palminteri, the Usual Suspects actor and New York native, even called the snub “racist”, and during an exchange with De Blasio on the Brian Lehrer radio show, the mayor promised to advocate personally for Cabrini next time.
In a statement, McCray said “the nomination process was never intended to be a popularity contest”, and that it was “focused on raising the profiles of prominent women of all ethnicities throughout history. Mother Cabrini is a remarkable and prominent figure who will most certainly be considered in the next round of statues selected.”
Brooklyn’s Catholics have responded with their own effort to build a memorial for the first naturalised American saint, and planned to put her at the front of the Columbus Day parade, which is typically led by a float promoting Catholic education.
In early October, the Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, Councilman Justin Brannan and Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn wrote a letter asking McCray to reconsider her picks. The initiative’s first round of honorees – a group curated directly from a process that the city initiated to generate nominees and build public interest – has omitted the woman who received twice as many votes as the second-highest-ranked nominee, they wrote.
Last weekend New York Governor Andrew Cuomo told the Columbus Citizens Foundation Gala that the city had made a mistake, and backed Brooklyn diocese’s effort to erect its own statue of her.
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