Symbol of racial discrimination: monument to Theodore Roosevelt will be demolished in New York

This monument is considered a symbol of colonial expansion and racial discrimination. The statue depicts Roosevelt riding a horse, as well as an Indian and an African American standing next to the horse. This publication writes NBC New York.

In New York, a monument to the 26th President of the United States of America Theodore Roosevelt is dismantled. This was confirmed on Sunday evening, June 21, the mayor of the city of Bill de Blasio. He said the dismantling request came from the American Museum of Natural History.

A bronze statue has been standing at the western entrance to Central Park since 1940. She depicts Roosevelt riding a horse, as well as an Indian and an African standing next to the horse. This arrangement of people was considered an illustration of racial inequality.

“As we strive to advance the passion of our institution, our city and our country for racial justice, we believe that the dismantling of the statue will symbolize progress and our commitment to building and sustaining an inclusive and fair museum community and society at large,” the President of the American Ellen Futter Natural History Museum.

It is not clear exactly when the monument is being dismantled. The decision to remove it from the front steps of the museum was first reported by The New York Times.

On the subject: 10 films for those who want to know more about the problem of racism in the USA

In 2017, protesters splashed red liquid on the base of the statue, simulating blood, and issued a statement calling for its removal as an emblem of "patriarchy, white supremacy and settlement-colonialism."

The mayor said that the city supported the request of the museum and that "this is the right decision and the right time to remove this problematic statue."

Countless statues have been dismantled or damaged over the past couple of weeks amid nationwide protests. On Thursday, June 18, New York City Council members wrote a letter to de Blasio demanding that the statue of Thomas Jefferson be removed from the City Hall.

De Blasio did not give a direct answer to the letter of advice on Friday. However, he said that the newly created Commission on Racial Justice and Reconciliation would be instructed to study this issue. The City Hall and the Commission will identify areas where discrimination continues to manifest itself: in housing, criminal justice, environmental justice, local education and inequality.

As previously reported, in Central Park New York want to demolish monuments to men and replace them with statues of women.

About Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt is an American politician, 25th Vice President of the United States and 26th President of the United States from 1901 to 1909. Prior to that, from 1899 to 1900, he served as Governor of New York.

Theodore Roosevelt is one of the few US presidents who are well remembered by modern generations of Americans. The reason for this is indicated by the fact that his image is actively used in popular culture.

It is to him that the expressions “politics of the big club” and “world policeman” belong. Roosevelt also became famous as a naturalist due to his participation in a scientific expedition in Brazil.

It is also worth noting that Roosevelt was the first president to invite a representative of African Americans to the White House.

In addition, he was the first American to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 1906 (for mediation in the conclusion of the Russo-Japanese Portsmouth Peace).