Some legislators in New York are proposing wiping away the Columbus holiday. Its sponsor in the Senate, Jessica Ramos, also wants all statues of Columbus removed. “As the daughter of a proud indigenous woman, I would love to see a statue honoring the people whose land has been stolen,” she says.

Who can argue with the need to respect and honor the contributions of those who preceded the new waves of immigrants that followed Columbus? But why destroy a statue or a holiday commemorating the man who sailed from Spain, for Spain, bringing the Hispanic language and Hispanic culture to the Western Hemisphere, and led the way for hundreds of millions of immigrants to follow his path?