Thomas Jefferson in New York City Hall's council chamber will be removed after a city commission vote Monday.The New York City Public Design Commission voted to move the statue to a public location. Removing the statue of the third president - who owned about 600 human being
The proposal was to move the Thomas Jefferson statue to the New York Historical Society but it was modified after testimony at the meeting raised questions about access to the publicly owned artwork at a private museum that charges admission.
City Council Speaker Corey Johnson leded to remove the statue in the summer of 2020 with a letter to de Blasio. Johnson wrote that he and Black, Asian and Latino members of the City Council found it "inappropriate."
"There are disturbing images of divisiveness and racism in our City that need to be revisited immediately," the letter read. "That starts with City Hall.
The statue of Jefferson dates back to 1833, when it was crafted by Pierre-Jean David D'Angers. It has occupied the City Council chamber since 1915, according to the city.
Council member Adrienne Adams and member of the Black, Latino and Asian Caucus, said in before the commission presentation . "It makes me deeply uncomfortable knowing that we sit in the presence of a statue that pays homage to a slaveholder who fundamentally believed that people who look like me were not worthy of freedom or rights."
The Commission voted to find a compatible public location for the statue outside of the council chambers by the end of the year.
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