After more than 50 years in the making, a beloved space in northwest Denver is now officially recognized as La Raza Park, a name it’s long been dubbed by those who’ve known it best.

The Denver City Council on Monday unanimously approved the renaming of the Sunnyside neighborhood’s Columbus Park, formerly named in 1931 for Christopher Columbus, a historical figure who’s come under global scrutiny in light of the impact of European exploration on Indigenous civilizations. 

The Denver park name change comes in the wake of racial justice protests spurred nationally by the death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody. The movement has reignited calls to take down monuments to white supremacy, Confederate sympathizers and slave owners. In fact, Gov. Jared Polis has since formed an advisory board to explore the renaming of geographical features and public spaces in Colorado.

The Denver initiative was pushed to the finish line by District 1 Councilwoman Amanda Sandoval, who held two socially-distanced, in-person petition signing events at the park in late July that generated more than double the amount of 300 supportive signatures needed to advance it to the Denver Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. 

The name change initiative received overwhelming support, including from state Rep. Serena Gonzalez-Gutierrez and state Sen. Julie Gonzales.  

In a letter to Denver Parks and Recreation, Sandoval wrote that “the Latinx community has simply fought for what a city should be: a public space that welcomes them and reflects their needs. The official park name ‘Columbus’ is a constant reminder of centuries of injustice and is in the opposite direction of this goal.”

Happy Haynes, Denver’s director of Parks and Recreation, said Monday night that the department received 45 emails in support and 16 letters in opposition, the latter of which were mostly concerned about a diminishing of the Italian-American community. 

Richard SaBell spoke during the one-hour public hearing on Monday in opposition of the renaming, dubbing it a “direct attack” to Italian-Americans and calling it “intrinsically unfair” to give to one community and take from another. 

“This is an example of cancel culture,” SaBell told council members.

But Haynes said the renaming, which she overwhelmingly supported, is about “uplifting” the space and the Latinx and Chicano community. 

Gonzales agreed. The renaming of the land, she said, is “a step toward healing” and “a step toward unity.”

“To be la raza means to be the people,” said Arturo “Bones” Rodriguez, who was part of the movement to change the name 50 years ago. “It became a term to empower us, to educate people who we are.” 

“What Christopher Columbus did was genocide,” Sandoval said. “It is time we stop celebrating Columbus and recognize the people, or – as we say in this park – La Raza.”