Statues tell history of the good, the bad and the ugly!
A statue of Christopher Columbus, which was toppled to the ground by protesters, is loaded onto a truck on the grounds of the State Capitol on June 10, 2020 in St Paul, Minnesota. PHOTO | AFP
The Black Lives Matter movement’s goal was to challenge the culture of police brutality against African-Americans. But the killing of George Floyd has transformed it into a worldwide movement for racial justice in America and Europe. While laws against discrimination on the basis of race exist, there persist perceptions, habits and institutional structures that encourage brutal treatment of blacks by police. This worldwide movement has regenerated debate about race.
The movement has also sparked a re-look at historical iconography in American and European cities. There are strident calls for the states in the south of the US, known as Southern States to remove statues of confederate generals who fought on the losing side of the American civil war. Some states are also now debating the continued use of the confederate flag.
