Frank White calls for removal of Andrew Jackson statues in front of county courthouses
Jackson County Executive Frank White is calling for two statues of President Andrew Jackson to be removed from the county’s courthouses, according to a statement.
White said he had planned to recommend the removal of the two statues to the county legislature at its next meeting Monday. But he issued a statement Thursday evening after one of the Jackson statues was vandalized in downtown Kansas City earlier in the day.
The call to action comes amid nationwide protests over police brutality and the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died one month ago after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.
Inspired by the recent demonstrations and demands for change, White said in his statement that it’s time to “acknowledge the role that racism plays in our community and our responsibility to take action, which may sometimes be unpopular, to ensure everyone feels safe, feels welcome, and ultimately, is treated equally in Jackson County.”
“Countless men, women and children come through the doors of our courthouses every day. And every day, racism and discrimination are staring them in the face. Statues of Andrew Jackson – our country’s seventh president and county’s namesake – stand outside two of our courthouses, public buildings where we want and need people to feel welcome, “ White stated. “Yet, they are greeted by a man who owned hundreds of slaves, opposed the abolitionist movement and caused thousands of Native Americans to die when he forced them out of their homeland for white settlement. As long as these statues remain, our words about fairness, justice and equality will continue to ring hollow for many we serve.”
White said he plans to ask the county legislature to form a special committee and begin holding public hearings on the possibility of moving the two Jackson statues elsewhere. One is located in front of the Jackson County courthouse downtown in Kansas City. The other is located outside the Jackson County Truman Historic Courthouse in Independence.
“I welcome the opportunity to work with the Legislature and fellow elected officials to find a better home for these statues where their history can be put into the appropriate context for us to learn from, but I am convinced that home is not in front of our courthouses,” White stated.
“Let me be clear – we can never erase history. It is already written. But we don’t need symbols to remind us of the decades of oppression endured by people of color when that is the very thing we are desperately trying to dismantle and heal from today. Like all great counties, this is an opportunity for us to change and evolve together, for the better.”
White’s full statement can be viewed on Twitter.
This story was originally published June 25, 2020 at 8:19 PM with the headline "Frank White calls for removal of Andrew Jackson statues in front of county courthouses."
