Sep 2, 2020 - Politics & Policy

D.C. task force targets monuments due to slavery connections

Axios

The Washington Monument and Jefferson Memorial are among the targets of a task force D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser named this summer amid nationwide protests, AP reports.

The state of play: The committee yesterday recommended changes for dozens of monuments, schools, parks and buildings because of their namesakes' association with slavery or racial oppression.

Bowser was advised to ask the federal government to "remove, relocate or contextualize" the Washington Monument, Jefferson Memorial and the statue of Christopher Columbus outside Union Station.

Some of the proposals from DCFACES (District of Columbia Facilities and Commemorative Expressions) are non-starters: Many of the most prominent monuments and statues stand on federal land, outside D.C. control.

Also included are proposals to rename schools named for Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and "Star-Spangled Banner" composer Francis Scott Key.

Go deeper: Read the 24-page report

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D.C. task force targets monuments due to slavery connections

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