The American Museum of Natural History will remove a prominent statue of Theodore Roosevelt from its entrance after years of objections that it symbolizes colonial expansion and racial discrimination, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Sunday. 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 in a written statement. Officials said it hasn’t been determined when the Roosevelt statue will be removed and where it will go. The composition of the Equestrian Statue does not reflect Theodore Roosevelt’s legacy, Theodore Roosevelt IV, a great-grandson of the president, said in a statement to the Times. She said the museum is naming its Hall of Biodiversity for Roosevelt in recognition of his conservation legacy.

Source: The Hindu June 22, 2020 02:00 UTC