Statue of George Washington (Seattle)

George Washington, also known as the President George Washington Monument,[1] is a bronze sculpture of George Washington by Lorado Taft, installed at the University of Washington campus in Seattle's University District, in the U.S. state of Washington.

George Washington
The statue in 2015
ArtistLorado Taft
Year1909 (1909)
TypeSculpture
SubjectGeorge Washington
LocationSeattle, Washington, United States
Coordinates47.656072°N 122.311131°W / 47.656072; -122.311131

History

The statue was dedicated on Flag Day, June 14, 1909, during the Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition.[2]

Calls for removal

A number of student led organizations at the University of Washington have called for the statue's removal. Most notably, the Black Student Union and the Black Lives Matter coalition (UW BLM) have publicly spoken out against the statue. UW BLM staged a month-long protest of the statue in August 2020, spray-painting the statue every day to induce a response from the administration. As of October 16, 2020 there has been no response from university officials regarding the removal of the statue.[3]

The university's student newspaper has also called for the removal of the statue in an op-ed. Noting that a petition to remove the statue has reached over 3,000 signatures. This petition is asking for the George Washington statue to be replaced with a Black Power fist and to rename the cafe near the statue from the By George Cafe to the Juneteenth Cafe.[4]

See also

References
  1. "George Washington, (sculpture)". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  2. "George Washington Statue". University of Washington. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  3. Keimig, Jasmyne. "UW Protesters Embark on Month-Long Art Installation at George Washington Statue". The Stranger. Retrieved 2020-10-16.
  4. Daily, Hannah Krieg The. "The petition to remove the George Washington statue and the larger conversation of a white-centric campus". The Daily of the University of Washington. Retrieved 2020-10-16.


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