They took it down.
Now let’s stand up.
Restore the Columbus statue
in Ohio’s capital.
Restore the
Columbus statue
in Ohio’s capital.
FRIENDS OF CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS
STAND WITH US
Donate today and help return the Columbus statue to public view through a federal lawsuit filed by George Bochetto, a proven litigator in Italian American advocacy.
Because our history deserves its day in court. Columbus, Ohio’s Italian American community has already raised thousands to support the lawsuit — filed on behalf of the Friends of Christopher Columbus Foundation (FOCCF) and the
Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO). But this fight will take time, and every contribution strengthens our effort to see justice served and history restored in our capital city.
WHY NOW?
Because our history deserves its day in court. Columbus, Ohio’s Italian American community has already raised thousands to support the lawsuit — filed on behalf of the Friends of Christopher Columbus Foundation (FOCCF) and the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO). But this fight will take time, and every contribution strengthens our effort to see justice served and history restored in our
capital city.
Led by Hon. Basil M. Russo, COPOMIAO is a national advocacy coalition of 75 cultural, educational, fraternal and anti-defamation organizations. COPOMIAO’s National Counsel, George Bochetto, restored Columbus Day as a citywide holiday in Philadelphia in August 2025 and prevented the removal of Pittsburgh’s Columbus statue in April 2024.
FOCCF is an emerging nonprofit founded by business leader Jack Conte. Together, Russo, Bochetto and Conte are deploying winning legal strategies to fight for the return of the city’s 20-foot bronze Columbus statue — created by sculptor Edoardo Alfieri and gifted to Columbus, Ohio, by Genoa, Italy, in 1955 (the statue was removed by City Hall in 2020 amid civil unrest).
WHO WE ARE
WHO WE ARE
Led by Hon. Basil M. Russo, COPOMIAO is a national advocacy coalition of 75 cultural, educational, fraternal and anti-defamation organizations. COPOMIAO’s National Counsel, George Bochetto, restored Columbus Day as a citywide holiday in Philadelphia in August 2025 and prevented the removal of Pittsburgh’s Columbus statue in April 2024.
FOCCF is an emerging nonprofit founded by business leader Jack Conte. Together, Russo, Bochetto and Conte are deploying winning legal strategies to fight for the return of the city’s 20-foot bronze Columbus statue — created by sculptor Edoardo Alfieri and gifted to Columbus, Ohio, by Genoa, Italy, in 1955 (the statue was removed by City Hall in 2020 amid civil unrest).
