Students attending the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia – the second oldest college in the nation – say the statue of Declaration of Independence writer Thomas Jefferson ought to be removed from campus because the Founding Father was little more than a “rapist” and racist.
The statue’s been peppered with yellow sticky notes of what students think of him. Among the slurs, Breitbart reported: “Racist.” “Rapist.” “Black Lives Matter.”
Other notes stuck on the statue read, “he knew it was wrong,” and “stop worshiping racists.”
Students at the school say the statue should be removed from the grounds – and this isn’t the only campus where this move is afoot.
As Breitbart reported, University of Missouri students have sent around a petition to boot their own campus Jefferson statue from the school grounds.
In reads, in part: “The need to project a progressive environment is just as important as food and shelter to survive. A welcoming environment does not stop at the feet of individuals in particular spaces. A welcoming environment is also determined by its physical environment e.g., the use of artifacts in designated spaces. Some individuals may not see Thomas Jefferson’s statue in the quad as a form of oppression, but in higher education settings where highly conscious students are present, it is relatively easy to see and read such nonverbal messages. Thomas Jefferson’s statue sends a clear nonverbal message that his values and beliefs are supported by the University of Missouri. Jefferson’s statue perpetuates a sexist-racist atmosphere that continues to reside on campus.”
William & Mary’s website reports its Jefferson statue came by way of a gift from the University of Virginia. The dedication plaque includes a quote from Jefferson that reads: “I look to the diffusion of light and education as the resource most to be relied on for ameliorating the condition, promoting the virtue and advancing the happiness of man.”
