October 13, 2021:
"The Public Design Commission’s forthcoming vote to relocate the Thomas Jefferson statue in City Hall’s Council Chambers has been years in the making. Members of the Black, Latino and Asian Caucus – beginning with Charles Barron – have long objected to the statue’s presence, and did so most recently in a June 2020 letter that was sent by the Council to Mayor de Blasio.
Though our position was ridiculed at the time by some in the media, the U.S. House of Representatives voted that same month to remove statues of Confederate figures and other known white supremacists from display at the Capitol, and a direct descendant of Thomas Jefferson and his concubine Sally Hemmings wrote a widely publicized op-ed in which he called for the replacement of the Thomas Jefferson National Memorial in Washington D.C. with one honoring Harriet Tubman, characterizing the proposal as, 'not erasing history…[but] telling the real history of America.'”
That history includes acknowledging the fact that this Founding Father held dominion over 600 African slaves, and likened the notion of their freedom from captivity to, 'abandoning children.' Our Caucus has stood at the forefront of local efforts to ensure that the real history of America – whether reflected in words or symbols – is truly genuine to all those who lived it.
This Administration owes it to the more than five million New Yorkers of color our members – past, present and future – represent to resolve that the individuals memorialized within the confines of our People’s House be reflective not only of the best traditions of our city’s history and its diversity but unquestionable character."
Plus tweet:
"Our Caucus has stood at the forefront of local efforts to ensure the real history of America is genuine to all who lived it. The individuals we memorialize within the People’s House should be reflective not only of our city’s history and diversity but unquestionable character."
October 18, 2021:
“We are deeply disappointed that the Public Design Commission voted to prolong the indignity of having the statue of Thomas Jefferson – a founding father who also holds the dubious distinction of profiteering from the more than 600 human beings he owned as chattel, forcing himself upon a captive Sally Hemmings against her will, and being a white supremacist – lord over our members as they conduct the People’s business on behalf of more than five million New Yorkers of color, who themselves do not measure up to Jefferson’s own standards of liberty and equality, as his own personal correspondence suggests.
The failure of the PDC to immediately recognize the symbolism of acting decisively to expel his likeness from Council Chambers in order to demonstrate its appreciation for the overriding need to amend the historical record of America’s founding so that it accurately reflects the roots of its origins in the original sin of human slavery is an affront to the entire city. Moreover, we are equally dismayed that the PDC commissioners themselves were so poorly prepared to resolve an issue that was first raised in objection by our Caucus two decades ago, and most recently with this Administration over the last two years, which in the era that we are currently living hardly requires any clarification or additional research to determine that Council Chambers is not an appropriate venue for providing the context this unwanted symbol of his likeness so desperately requires.
We along with our allies will continue to press the need for swift action to remove the indelible stain of Thomas Jefferson’s sordid history of human bondage – and its influence on his successors in purging the civilizations of our indigenous peoples – from the confines of the People’s House in this day and age.”
Plus tweets:
"To be clear, @nycpublicdesign voted to prolong the indignity of having the Thomas Jefferson statue lord over our members as they conduct the People’s Business on behalf of 5 million New Yorkers of color who don't measure up to Jeffersonian-era standards of liberty and equality."
"Committing to act by the end of 2021 to find an appropriate location to ensure the Jefferson statue - once actually removed - remains "in the public realm" is NOT voting decisively to enable its removal but voting to unnecessary delay enabling its removal."
"We are resolved to press the need for swift action to remove the indelible stain of Thomas Jefferson’s sordid history of human bondage – and its influence on his successors in purging our indigenous peoples – from the confines of the People’s House in this day and age."
CM Adrienne Adams: "The 7-foot-tall statue of Thomas Jefferson inside the @NYCCouncil chamber is the most prominent figure in the room, but it also has also made many of us uncomfortable."
Charles Barron, as quoted by the New York Daily News, on October 18, 2021:
“They should put it in a central place in the Black community and give us all sledgehammers and let us smash it into dust,” said Barron, husband to Councilwoman Barron. “It’s only plaster.”
November 15, 2021:
“At last, the Public Design Commission voted decisively and overwhelmingly to remove the statue of Thomas Jefferson from our People’s House, but this alone does not constitute the relief that we seek. We insist that the Administration, City Council, and New York Historical Society work in concert to expedite the statue’s removal from Council Chambers, and do so before the Council conducts its Stated Meeting of Tuesday, November 23, 2021.
Each day it is allowed to linger there serves as a reminder to our members of the horrors perpetrated against Blacks and Indigenous Peoples by revered figures – like Jefferson – who were instrumental in America’s creation, but also known practitioners of slavery that espoused white supremacist beliefs.
Such individuals are no longer worthy of exaltation in an era where the ancestors of those they subjugated now hold the very seats of power derived from the systems of government they established. While there may be ambivalence and a lack of consensus among scholars, historians, and even our fellow New Yorkers about the merits of memorializing this flawed Founding Father in the halls of our government, we are nonetheless resolute in our determination to have his likeness expelled.
We should have sovereignty over the symbols and imagery displayed in the place where we conduct business on behalf of more than 8 million New Yorkers, more than two-thirds of whom are persons of color, and the will of our members should be respected.”
Plus tweets:
"We insist that @NYCMayorsOffice , @NYCCouncil & @NYHistory work in concert to expedite the Thomas Jefferson statue’s removal from Council Chambers, and do so before the Council conducts its Stated Meeting of 11/23/21."
"Each day it's allowed to linger serves to remind our members of the horrors perpetrated against Blacks and Indigenous Peoples by revered figures – like Jefferson – who were instrumental in America’s creation, but known practitioners of slavery that espoused white supremacy."
"Such individuals are no longer worthy of exaltation in an era where the ancestors of those they subjugated now hold the very seats of power derived from the systems of government they established."
"While there may be ambivalence and a lack of consensus among scholars, historians, and even our fellow New Yorkers about the merits of memorializing this flawed Founding Father in the halls of our government, we're resolute in our determination to have his likeness expelled."
"We should have sovereignty over the symbols and imagery displayed in the place where we conduct business on behalf of more than 8 million New Yorkers, more than two-thirds of whom are persons of color, and the will of our members should be respected."