Protesters gather at the American Museum of Natural History to demand the removal of the statue and issue an urgent call to rename Columbus Day
By Mazin Sidahmed | 11 October 2016
THE GUARDIAN — Hundreds of activists gathered at the American Museum of Natural History on Monday to take down the “racist” statue of Theodore Roosevelt and an urgent call to rename Columbus Day.
More than 200 people cheered outside the museum as activists covered the statue of Roosevelt on horseback flanked by an African American and Native American on either side and demanded it be ultimately removed.
“A stark embodiment of the white supremacy that Roosevelt himself espoused and promoted,” the group explained in a statement. “The statue is seen as an affront to all who pass it on entering the museum, but especially to African and Native Americans.”
Activists from the groups NYC Stands with Standing Rock and Decolonize This Place organized the protest to draw attention to the museum’s encouragement of racist tropes, and implored New York City to rename Columbus Day to Indigenous People’s Day. […]
“implored New York City to rename Columbus Day to Indigenous People’s Day.”
While they are at it, why not rename the “Freedom Tower” the “Jewish Lighting Tower” or if that is too controversial they could call it “Freedom from Investigation Tower”
The article failed to mention WHY the Roosevelt statue has an African American on one side and native American on the other. Teddy was the first president to invite a black person to dinner at the White House (Booker T.), and he invited an American native outlaws to his inauguration (Geronimo). He was far from racist — especially for the era in which he lived — and he often took a lot of heat for it politically. He was also the founder of the true Progressive Party and national parks. But of course, the destroy-the-monuments movement isn’t about facts or history. It’s about ignorance, feelings and dirty politics.