Jun 26, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Protesters target Abraham Lincoln statues in Boston and D.C.

Axios

The twin Emancipation Memorials in Boston and D.C. — Photos: J. Scott Applewhite/AP, Steven Senne/AP

Protesters are demanding the removal of twin Emancipation memorials — one in D.C. (left) and the other in Boston (right) — that depict a freed slave kneeling at Abraham Lincoln's feet, AP reports.

Why it matters: Following a revival of the Black Lives Matter Movement, protesters are looking at these statues with a fresh lens, AP writes. Many are offended by the imagery of a Black man kneeling before Abraham Lincoln, with critics saying it looks more like subservience and supremacy in 2020.

The Emancipation Memorial, also known as the Emancipation Group and the Freedman's Memorial, was erected in Washington's Lincoln Park in 1876.
Three years later, a copy was installed in Boston, home to the statue's white creator, Thomas Ball.

What they're saying: Tory Bullock, a Black actor and activist leading the campaign to get the Boston memorial removed, told AP, "I’ve been watching this man on his knees since I was a kid. It’s supposed to represent freedom but instead represents us still beneath someone else. I would always ask myself, “If he’s free, why is he still on his knees?’” Bullock said.

The state of play:

The city of Boston has been reviewing the statue since at least 2018 when it launched a comprehensive review of public sculptures and monuments.
Protesters in Washington D.C. were met with 400 unarmed National Guard personnel as they demanded the removal of the statue.

Go deeper: Confederate monuments become flashpoints

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Protesters target Abraham Lincoln statues in Boston and D.C.

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