23 Feb 2021
Students at the University of Washington (UW) are demanding that the school remove a statue of George Washington, claiming that its existence “perpetuates white supremacy.” Washington, the first U.S. president, is the namesake of both the university and the state it is located in.
A petition started by the University of Washington Black Student Union titled, “Demand for the University of Washington Administration to Meet the Needs of Black Students,” demands that the university “remove statues of racist figures,” and specifically calls out George Washington.
“Statues in place at the University of Washington are preservers of our dark past,” the petition reads. “The George Washington statue, in particular, symbolizes a man who owned over 300 black slaves and profited from their labor.”