Eleanor Holmes Norton announces she wants Lincoln "Emancipation" statue removed from Lincoln Park

[Anonymous]

https://wjla.com/news/local/dc-lincoln-park-emancipation-memorial-freed-black-americans-paid

This statue was paid for by formerly enslaved people, but even Frederick Douglas was disappointed in the design. Since the statue is on federal land, perhaps it should go to the National Museum of African American History, and a new statue commissioned.

[Anonymous]

So I guess we're taking down everything now.

I support taking down the Confederate statues, but this is too far.

[Anonymous]

The one where Lincoln is petting a black man's head and the black man looks like a dog at his feet.

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

Da Fuq!!!!

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So I guess we're taking down everything now.

I support taking down the Confederate statues, but this is too far.

I’m going to guess you have never seen it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Wow, that angle is something else.

This has been discussed on my DC neighborhood listserv. Seems many would support taking it down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The one where Lincoln is petting a black man's head and the black man looks like a dog at his feet.

The man doesn’t look like a dog and Lincoln isn’t touching his head.

The statue is symbolic of Lincoln saying go free to the slaves, and in 1876 how else would have it been depicted?

[Anonymous]

I've lived here my whole life and never paid any attention to that statue. I bet most people aware of its existence couldn't even be able to recall any details about it.

All this fuss about statues is too much. EHN, there's far more important things you could do to help uplift communities of color.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The one where Lincoln is petting a black man's head and the black man looks like a dog at his feet.

The man doesn’t look like a dog and Lincoln isn’t touching his head.

The statue is symbolic of Lincoln saying go free to the slaves, and in 1876 how else would have it been depicted?

Funny how you and I can look at the same statue and see different things. Art is funny that way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Wow, that angle is something else.

This has been discussed on my DC neighborhood listserv. Seems many would support taking it down.

It depicts an AA man in a demeaning position. If the AA community would like it to go, I support that.

[Anonymous]

I just showed this to my college aged kids and they were like "what the actual F*ck is that"?

I said it was right here at Lincoln Park...

them:

haha! Exactly! WTF!

[Anonymous]

Good. Please take it down, along with Andrew Jackson's statue in Lafayette Park.

[Anonymous]

Lincoln was almost certainly our greatest president and should be remembered as such, but that doesn't mean every statue of him is inoffensive. It's artistically notable enough that I think a place in the NMAAHC would be really appropriate.

It's worth reading Frederick Douglas's speech at the unveiling of the statue, which is a really interesting reflection on Lincoln's legacy: https://rbscp.lib.rochester.edu/4402