TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — The efforts to rename Christopher Columbus Park remain ongoing, as Azul Navarrete-Valera, a U of A student, turned in hundreds of petitions.
The park, originally called Silverbell Park, was renamed Christopher Columbus Park in 1990.
Advocates for the change are pushing to honor Danny Lopez, a Tohono O’odham educator and elder who dedicated his life to preserving the Tohono O’odham language and culture.
A University of Arizona student who has spearheaded the renaming effort for four years expressed the significance of the change.
"It’s heartbreaking to know that someone would want to colonize that land," Navarrete-Valera said. "What we are trying to do is just re-indigenize that land by having the name be Danny Lopez, an O’odham elder.”
On Indigenous Peoples Day, hundreds of petitions supporting the renaming were submitted to Tucson Parks and Recreation.
As of Wednesday, advocates have five more days to submit additional petitions before the public input process concludes.
KGUN 9 will continue to follow this developing story online and on our newscasts.
