On Sunday, the American Museum of Natural History in New York City announced that a statue of former President Theodore Roosevelt will be removed from outside its entrance.
Former President Teddy Roosevelt’s Statue has Been Present Since 1940
Roosevelt’s bronze statue has stood outside of the museum since 1940 and depicts the former “Rough Rider” on horseback accompanied by a Native American and an African American. The move comes from attacks across the country against Confederate monuments and protests over the death of George Floyd, according to the announcement.
Theodore Roosevelt's statue will be removed from the Museum of Natural History in New York City. The memorial has long prompted objections as a symbol of colonialism.https://t.co/aPafBjXCOv
— The New York Times (@nytimes) June 21, 2020
‘The time has come to move it’
“Over the last few weeks, our museum community has been profoundly moved by the ever-widening movement for racial justice that has emerged after the killing of George Floyd,” the museum’s president, Ellen V. Futter, told the New York Times. “We have watched as the attention of the world and the country has increasingly turned to statues as powerful and hurtful symbols of systemic racism.”
“Simply put,” Futter added, “the time has come to move it.”
Wow. The Teddy Roosevelt statue outside the main entrance to the American Museum of Natural History is coming down—at the AMNH's request. https://t.co/3a2XF88rxl
— Angus Johnston ? (@studentactivism) June 21, 2020
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio: ‘Problematic statue’
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio also said that it is time to remove the “problematic statue.”
“The American Museum of Natural History has asked to remove the Theodore Roosevelt statue because it explicitly depicts Black and Indigenous people as subjugated and racially inferior,” de Blasio said. “The City supports the Museum’s request. It is the right decision and the right time to remove this problematic statue.”
The American Museum of Natural History will remove a statue of Theodore Roosevelt after years of complaints that it symbolizes colonialism and discrimination. The statue depicts Roosevelt on horseback with a Native American and African man standing below. https://t.co/EVp82MMk0f
— The Associated Press (@AP) June 22, 2020
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Museum officials have not said where the statue will end up.
A great-grandson of Roosevelt’s, released a statement approving of this decision.
“The world does not need statues, relics of another age, that reflect neither the values of the person they intend to honor nor the values of equality and justice,” said Theodore Roosevelt IV. “The composition of the Equestrian Statue does not reflect Theodore Roosevelt’s legacy. It is time to move the statue and move forward.”