The statue in Boston’s Public Park of a former slave kneeling in front of President Abraham Lincoln was removed this week, 141 years after it was installed. The removal of the statue comes months after the Boston Art Commission voted to remove it by the end of the year. The decision came in June, at the height of nationwide protests following the death of George Floyd.
While highlighting systematic racism across the country, protesters also turned their attention to statues and monuments that praised the Confederate Army and its generals, presidents and soldiers, resulting in the removal of many monuments . While this statue was originally intended to commemorate the liberation of slaves, critics said its depiction of the once enslaved man kneeling before a white man was not a celebration of his freedom.
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