NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – Legislation in the New York City Council could lead to the removal of statues depicting historical figures like George Washington and Christopher Columbus who are linked to slavery or other crimes against humanity.
The council's Cultural Affairs Committee was set to hold a public hearing Tuesday to discuss legislation authored by Council Member Sandy Nurse and co-sponsored by 16 other members.
The bill would direct the city's Public Design Commission to form a plan to remove artwork on city property “that depict a person who owned enslaved persons or directly benefited economically from slavery, or who participated in systemic crimes against indigenous peoples or other crimes against humanity.”
Under the plan, if the commission votes to keep a statue up, the city must affix an "explanatory plaque" explaining any controversial role that figure played in history.
Such plaques would also be installed at locations like schools that are named after figures such as Peter Stuyvesant and John Jay, both slaveholders. Other examples would be monuments and parks like Columbus Circle or Washington Square Park.
"It's important that young Black kids who go to a school named Thomas Jefferson know who Thomas Jefferson was and that he profited in the bondage and forced servitude of young Black people," Nurse said.
Two years ago, a statue of Jefferson, the third U.S. president, was removed from the City Council chamber because he, like Washington, was a slaveowner.
City Council Minority Leader Joe Borelli and other Republicans have vowed to fight against the bill in the Democrat-led body.
Among the opponents of the legislation is Joseph Scelsa, president of the Italian American Museum in Little Italy.
"We need to honor all ethnicities and all groups," Scelsa said. "Everyone's made a great contribution to this city, this state and this country. The Italians have certainly made their share."
Also under consideration in the City Council is a separate reparations bill that would create a task force looking at the impact of slavery and other injustices against Black New Yorkers and what they may be owed.