In the wake of George Floyd’s killing at the hands of police in Minneapolis, wave upon wave of protests have taken over the nation’s streets, and even spread to other nations , as people fed up with police brutality, injustice, and systemic racism make their voices heard.
The protests have more recently been accompanied by a movement to remove statues and monuments honoring historical figures like various Confederate generals, as well as Christopher Columbus due to his legacy of genocide and brutal treatment of Indigenous populations in the Americas.
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The city of Columbus, Ohio has already vowed to bring down its statue of Christopher Columbus.
“For many people in our community, the statue represents patriarchy, oppression and divisiveness,” the city’s mayor, Andrew Ginther, said in a statement, WTTE reported. “That does not represent our great city, and we will no longer live in the shadow of our ugly past.”
However, for some citizens, that doesn’t go quite far enough.
For Tyler Woodbridge, nothing less than a change of the city’s name will do.
“Even though it’s my favorite city, I was always a bit ashamed of the name,” Woodbridge, a seven-year resident of the city, told CNN .
And so, Woodbridge has started a petition to change the city’s name to reflect what he feels are better values than those Christopher Columbus represents. He wants the city to be named for one of its most famous and wholesome sons: Guy Fieri.
But rather than renaming the city Fieri, Ohio, Woodbridge suggested changing it to “Flavortown.”
Fieri became known as the “Mayor of Flavortown” during his stint as host of Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives ,” in which he and and his frosted tips traveled from coast to coast seeking out the most flavorful, least pretentious food at some of the nation’s easiest to overlook eateries.
As Woodbridge pointed out, Fieri has done a lot more than just host shows about food.
Earlier this year, Fieri helped to raise more than $20 million for restaurant workers affected by the pandemic. He has also cooked for weary firefighters battling wildfires in California and officiated more than 100 LGBT weddings.
“That kind of optimism and charitable work embodies more of what Columbus, Ohio, is about rather than the tarnished legacy of Christopher Columbus,” Woodbridge told CNN.
The campaign to make Flavortown a real place is gaining steam.
So far, Woodbridge’s petition at Change.org has garnered more than 27,000 signatures.
Fieri has yet to comment on the petition, but Bud Light appears to have thrown its weight behind the campaign, tweeting out an offer to give away Bud Light Seltzer if the change actually happens.
However, Woodbridge isn’t the only person with a name change in mind.
Others have suggested renaming Columbus after an Indigenous person, which Woodbridge said he would support as well.
“We as a culture in America are waking up to how bad of a person he was. Now is the time for progressiveness. It’s a time for change,” he said.
h/t: CNN
