Letter to the editor: Let's stop rewriting history

Mayor Peduto, this cancel culture is getting way out of hand, and your covering up of the Christopher Columbus statue continues to cower to the vocal minority and borders on embarrassing and hysterical (“Pittsburgh Mayor Peduto recommends removal of Columbus statue from Scheney Park,”). Where and when does this stop? Andrew Carnegie owned local steel mills in the 19th century that killed countless workers, let alone nine Homestead strikers who were killed by hired Pinkertons. Should we force CMU to change names? Henry Frick was mainly responsible for the Johnston flood that killed 2,200 people. Should we rename Frick Park? Robert Morris was involved in the early slave trade. We don’t talk about that but should we force RMU to change names?

The family Pittsburgh is named for was a leading force in the French-Indian War that displaced the local Indian tribes. By the way, where are all the 18th-century indigenous people from Western Pennsylvania today? Should we rename the city?

I needn’t go on because the list of local and national American historical figures with not-so-glorious pasts in the eyes of 2020 citizenry goes on and on. History cannot be rewritten, but it can be taught.

Ken Goga

Level Green