Frederick Douglas Monument Torn Down On Anniversary Of His Famous Speech

Frederick Douglas Monument Torn Down On Anniversary Of His Famous Speech

On July 5, 2020 in Rochester, New York, a statue of the great abolitionist, Frederick Douglas was torn off of its base by unknown suspects.  The day marks 186 years since the man who escaped slavery into freedom, gave his famous speech, What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?  To date, this is arguably one of the best speeches in American history.

Amid racial tension in the United States, citizens have requested removals or participated in vandalizing and destroying monuments of well-known historians around the nation if they were known to be affiliated with slavery or racial injustice of any kind.

In June 2020, President Donald Trump threatened to arrest people who destroyed memorial monuments.

Celebrities like Taylor Swift and activist, Shaun King have also been vocal about taking down monuments of alleged racist figures.

Shaun King actively posts about racial inequality and founded the Grassroots Law Project to fight for deep systemic change.

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The vandalization of former slave Frederick Douglas’ statue brings pain along with it for those in the African American community.  Carvin Eison, a leader of the project that brought the statues to the city said,

“It’s particularly painful that it happened at this time.”

He continued,

“It’s really sad because here in Rochester the statue of Frederick Douglas has always been a face fo good.”

Although the damage is too significant to be repaired, Eison reassures that another statue will take its place.

Twitter users also expressed their opinions about the vandalism.

Donald Trump Jr. also expressed his sentiment.  He said,

Disgusting!  We should all realize this movement is about promoting Marxism not stopping racism.  They’re not going to stop folks.

Frederick Douglass statue vandalized on anniversary of July 4 speech

What are your thoughts on the statue being torn down? Let us know in the comments!