A petition to rename the city of Columbus, Ohio, to “Flavortown” has over 30,000 signatures as of Monday.
Bud Light Seltzer for all of Flavortown if this happens https://t.co/hUMViimR3n
— Bud Light (@budlight) June 18, 2020
“Columbus is an amazing city, but one whose name is tarnished by the very name itself,” said the creator of the petition, Tyler Woodbridge, on the official petition page.
“Flavortown” is the signature catchphrase of celebrity restaurateur Guy Fieri, who was born in the city of Columbus, per CNN. (RELATED: Sen. Marco Rubio To File Bill Demanding NCAA Allow Athletes To Be Compensated For Their Image)
Woodbridge said that he always felt “ashamed” that the city was named Columbus, in an interview with CNN. “Its namesake, Christopher Columbus, is in The Bad Place because of all his raping, slave trading, and genocide,” Woodbridge wrote in the petition.
Woodbridge said Fieri was “a very charitable man” and cited him raising over $20 million for restaurant workers as well as officiating over 100 LGBTQ weddings, according to CNN.
“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.
Woodbridge described Columbus as a “melting pot” of cultures and nationalities, and that the name “Flavortown” would honor the city’s role as a “culinary crossroad,” per the petition. Bud Light said on Twitter that it would give free Bud Light Seltzers to all city residents if the change occurred.
Other people have reportedly proposed renaming the city after an Indigenous figure, which Woodbridge supports, according to CNN.
Woodbridge said all he desires is that the city no longer be named Columbus. Woodbridge plans on hand-delivering the printed petition to city officials, per CNN.