NEW YORK (AP) — The American Museum of Natural History is removing a statue of Theodore Roosevelt on horseback with a Native American man and an African man on his sides after objections that it symbolizes colonial expansion and racial discrimination.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said Sunday the city supports the removal of the statue because it depicts black and indigenous people as subjugated and racially inferior.
“The City supports the Museum’s request. It is the right decision and the right time to remove this problematic statue,” de Blasio said in a statement.
The statue at the museum’s Central Park West entrance depicts Roosevelt on the horse with the Native American man and the African man standing on either side.
The museum’s president, Ellen Futter, told the New York Times the decision to remove the bronze statue comes amid the movement for racial justice following the killing of George Floyd.
President Donald Trump objected to the decision to remove the statue.
“Ridiculous, don’t do it!” he tweeted.
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