I took this photo several years ago.
My family and I walked through this park with Helen, Tim and Sahraa.
It’s a lovely spot and the statue is beautifully made.
I never posted it because I just could not come up with a title for it.
I found it very disturbing that a slave was kneeling before Lincoln.
It seemed demeaning.
After seeing Helen’s posts the other day about this statue I did some reading.
As she stated the statue was paid for by freed slaves.
However it’s design was overseen by an all white committee.
The statue depicts nothing of how the slaves had a role in procuring their freedom.
The model for the kneeling figure was Archer Alexander.
He had been a former slave who escaped on his own.
He even helped the Union Troops.
I can certainly understand why African Americans would not like this statue.
A local resident made a statement that I thought was very telling.
He said,
“A person that cares about freeing slaves doesn’t have them down at their feet.
I personally think the best place for the statue is in a museum.
We need to learn from our past.
The only trouble is, it seems we never do.