(Forbes) Today the American Museum of Natural History announced that it will remove the bronze statue of Theodore Roosevelt that has loomed over the front steps on Central Park West since 1940. The statue portrays Roosevelt on horseback and flanked by a Native American man and an African man.
The decision to remove the statue was proposed by the museum and agreed to by New York City. It comes amid a nationwide conversation about racism spurred on by the killing of George Floyd.
For years, activists have objected to the Roosevelt statue, saying that it symbolizes a legacy of colonial expansion and racial discrimination. “The statue has long been controversial because of the hierarchical composition that places on figure on horseback and the others walking alongside,” said the museum’s statement.