Unanimous Vote Is Final Step Toward Removing Theodore Roosevelt Statue

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

NEW YORK — After more than a year of talk, it’s official: The Theodore Roosevelt statue in front of the American Museum of Natural History is coming down.

The New York City Public Design Commission voted unanimously at a public meeting Monday to relocate the statue by long-term loan to a cultural institution dedicated to the life and legacy of the former president. (No institution has been designated yet, and discussions about its ultimate destination are ongoing.)

The vote follows years of protest and adverse public reaction over the statue as a symbol of colonialism, largely because of the Native American and African men who are depicted flanking Roosevelt on a horse. Those objections led the museum in June 2020 to propose removing the statue. New York City, which owns the building and property, agreed to the suggestion, and Mayor Bill de Blasio expressed his support.

In 2017, a mayoral commission set up to review city art, monuments and markers had considered historical research about the statue but could not reach a consensus on removing it.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/unanimous-vote-final-step-toward-120847010.html

[hunter]

1. Good.

This statue was not otherwise the subject of public controversy in the 20th century. It was mentioned in the April 2017 TED talk Can Art Amend History? by artist and activist Titus Kaphar, discussing the choice of pose showing that "Teddy Roosevelt is sitting there ...and on the left-hand side of him is a Native American walking and on the right-hand side of him is an African-American walking" as a representation of white social hierarchy in America.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equestrian_Statue_of_Theodore_Roosevelt_%28New_York_City%29

[ProfessorGAC]

2. That Statue Doesn't Even Need...

...those two characters.
It would be a fine statue of TR, with just him & the horse.
It was stupid to have ever added the other 2 men.

[hunter]

4. White savior complex...

...as a white guy I get to ride the biggest baddest horse... dragon... starship... whatever...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_savior_narrative_in_film

As an ignorant white kid raised in a 99% white community I confess now, still with much embarrassment, that's how I ended up teaching science in the big city...

It was my good fortune that fantasy didn't last long. Maybe four months at most.

But I still ride dragons.

[NYC Liberal]

3. Should commission a new statue of TR alone to replace it.