I am writing in response to 33rd Ward Ald. Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez’s insulting and offensive comments toward Italian Americans.
It was bad enough that she posted the Twitter poll asking her constituents, “What’s the best way to honor Italian heritage?” Her choices included “Italian ice monument,” “Bialetti monument” and “Columbus statue.”
One person responding to her poll was praised by Rodriguez Sanchez for suggesting a cannoli statue. When asked about her comments, the alderperson responded she didn’t have anything to apologize for. Really? That she believes she has nothing to apologize for is just as offensive as her poll.
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Rodriguez Sanchez’s indifference toward insulting an entire ethnic community is another example of the divisive, unprofessional and total lack of quality representation that is eroding our political environment. As someone who is the son of an Italian immigrant who came to the U.S. and contributed in every positive way to her new country, Rodriguez Sanchez’s ignorance is alarming. This is not leadership. If she said this about any other ethnic group, it would be just as disgusting.
Where are the comments from our city leaders? Has our political environment been so poisoned by amateurs masquerading as statesmen that we begrudgingly accept their behavior as the way it is? Rodriguez Sanchez’s comments should be met with public repudiation from our mayor for insulting one of Chicago’s ethnic groups. It should also be followed by her being censured in the City Council.
We are better than this. Chicago is a great city, comprised of communities consisting of numerous ethnic groups that have continually contributed to our success. As a proud Armenian Italian who loves my city, I hope we can expect better from our leaders than the example provided by Rodriguez Sanchez.
Charles J. Hagopian Jr., Norwood Park
An escape with Chicago’s literary greats
Chicagoans are seemingly forced daily to confront the gloom of life in the nation’s third-largest city, but they would do well to ignore the misery.
In mid-July, I attended the induction ceremony of the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame at the Chopin Theatre on the Northwest Side. That evening, the world of gun violence, pension crises and economic devastation evaporated.
I was transfixed to learn about the lives and works of Chicago writers Finley Peter Dunne, Bette Howland and Nella Larsen, who were inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Though I had heard of Dunne, I had never read his work. And I had never heard of or read Howland and Larsen.
I have picked up Howland’s book “W-3,” a memoir about her stay in the psychiatric wing of a hospital during a difficult time in her life. The book would prove to be Howland’s salvation, and she would go on to write two others and win a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship in 1984. Her sons Frank and Jacob attended the event.
Dig into Chicago and discover the riches of your city. The despair will go away.
Craig Barner, Lincoln Square
