Baltimore: ALL Confederate Statues Have Now Been Removed

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One can be racist and still see forms of racism as a bridge too far. Even a lot of abolitionists were racist.

Pointing out that racist views are common and often go unquestioned isn't the same as condemning everyone who holds those views as terrible. People can improve and grow. I'm sure there's forms of bigotry that you might have once accepted that you're now more able to understand as problematic.

The only problem is that BLM is speaking the truth too plainly because no one wants to be called racist or worse, to have to admit to themselves that it's true, but that doesn't mean the problem isn't more widespread then anyone wants to admit. That's one of the reasons why most people who get accused of racism try to deflect by pointing out a worse example, or bigger, more obvious version in hopes they'll dodge the accusation.

Sometimes one just needs to accept the accusation and figure out why it was made in order to understand if it's valid and how severe it was. Often it seems like making a blanket observation of a shared experience is treated as a bigger deal than what motivates the observation.

The New York City Public Design Commission voted unanimously Monday to move a controversial 188-year-old statue of Thomas Jefferson from the City Council chambers a City Hall.

However, where that statue will be moved to remains up in the air.

The statue, which dates back to 1833, was expected to go on "long term loan" to the New-York Historical Society by the end of the year, where it would be included in educational exhibits with the proper historical context that likely will include discussion of Jefferson's slave ownership.

But members of the commission disagreed over the initial plans because the New-York Historical Society charges a fee

The members agreed to find an appropriate home for the statue by the end of the year.

I imagine all the young black women get the creeps when they see jefferson ogling them.

What are we going to do about Mt Rushmore?
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.thegua ... -americans

The City Hall statue of Thomas Jefferson will find a new home inside an Upper West Side private museum after the Public Design Commission unanimously voted to oust the 188-year-old monument over his slave ownership and beliefs.

The New York Post reports the commission will meet Monday to discuss a long-term loan of the statue to the New York Historical Society, despite earlier concerns the $22 adult admission fee at the privately-run institution would limit some.

Commission President Signe Nielsen and others at first rejected the Historical Society move and reportedly proposed relocating the statue of the nation's third president to a different part of City Hall or the New York Public Library.

However, documents show members became reluctant to the switch noting the museum's "pay-as-you-go" admission on Friday evenings and its placement in the lobby for “approximately six months” — would allow more to see it — until the statue is eventually moved in the corner of a reading room.

"We’re confident the statue will land in an accessible location that puts Jefferson’s legacy in its full historical context," said mayoral spokesperson Mitch Schwartz to the Post.

Jefferson deplored slavery in theory----but he was economically dependent upon the "peculiar institution."

Lots of contradictions in the man......

The Rough Rider is mounting up and moving on.

An American Museum of Natural History statue of former President Theodore Roosevelt, which has been criticized for glorifying colonialism and racial discrimination, is being relocated to North Dakota.

For 80 years the Roosevelt statue stood sentry outside the museum, riding a horse and towering over an African man and a Native American man. Roosevelt’s own descendants conceded the depiction is “troubling” and signed off on the statue’s removal.

Now, T.R. is headed for Medora, N.D., where the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library is set to open in 2026 — the 250th anniversary of the United States.

Although Roosevelt was born in Manhattan,and was governor of New York before running the country, his library will be built on a site near Theodore Roosevelt National Park, which preserves landscapes the pioneering conservationist visited in between 1883 and 1887.

The Equestrian Statue is problematic in its hierarchical depiction of its subjects and should be removed,” Theodore Roosevelt V said in a statement. “Rather than burying a troubling work of art, we ought to learn from it. It is fitting that the statue is being relocated to a place where its composition can be recontextualized to facilitate difficult, complex and inclusive discussions.”

The Equestrian Statue, designed by James Earle Fraser, may undergo some changes before it is put back on display, according to the library commission.

The statue was vandalized with red paint in 2017. Last year, Mayor de Blasio called the statue “problematic” amid a racial reckoning caused by the police killing of George Floyd.

Georgia's public university systems announced Monday that will not rename any buildings or colleges that were recommended for changes due to name association with slavery, segregation, or other social issues.

An internal committee created more than a year ago to study the naming issues recommended the university system should rename 75 buildings and colleges. However, the system's regents voted not to make any name changes.

"History can teach us important lessons, lessons that if understood and applied make Georgia and its people stronger," the regents said in a statement unanimously adopted by the board at a meeting.

The state of Georgia passed a law in 2019 prohibiting state and local agencies from renaming any buildings that are named after a "historical entity", or of removing any historical monuments.

Some local Georgia governments have gone against this, removing monuments and renaming buildings that were associated with names of Confederates, slaveholders or white supremacists.

Jefferson deplored slavery in theory----but he was economically dependent upon the "peculiar institution."

Lots of contradictions in the man......

But we are likely to have to rethink what our statutes mean and how they get used. One step at a time, I guess.