statues

The sculptor’s intent was to honor the liberation of America’s enslaved black population and in particular, the man who granted it, President Abraham Lincoln. Yet, the well-intentioned tableau perpetuates a perverted mythology, depicting an ever-supplicant African American in the presence of a deified Lincoln.

When we characterize Columbus as a hero, we forget the history of the indigenous people who lived on this land long before it was “discovered.” Columbus began the systematic murder and rape of native people and the theft of native land, all justified by the logic of white supremacy.