A statue of Abraham Lincoln freeing a slave was removed from Boston after officials voted overwhelmingly to take it down.
The art commission responsible issued a statement saying the statue was removed due to “perpetuating” prejudices against black Americans. Going on to say the statue obscured the roles of black people in America’s freedoms.
Boston’s Democratic Mayor Martin Walsh praised the choice, saying that the public was clearly uncomfortable with the statue and its demeaning representation of black people. The mayor’s office has also stated that the statue is being stored in a storage facility until new plans can be made.
The statue in question is known as the Emancipation Memorial. And is one of three copies made in 1879, of an original statue erected in D.C. during a 1876 ceremony which Frederick Douglass attended and addressed.
After the death of George Floyd, some people objected to the image of a slave “kneeling” to Lincoln. The threat of the statue being damaged was so real that the National Guard put barricades around another copy in Washington.
The original statue was paid for by slaves which Lincoln freed. Including Archer Alexander, a slave who left his farm and aided the Union. He also served as the model for the statue.