Ninian Edwards Plaza News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

St. Louis Public Radio A statue of Ninian Edwards was removed from its pedestal in City Plaza after a local group, Our Edwardsville, asked for its removal because of the figure’s pro-slavery stances. The statue will still remain in the park. The wake of a summer of racial reckoning in 2020 has many communities rethinking how they represent influential figures and symbols, including Edwardsville, Illinois. For the past year, some residents have worked to remove a statue of the city’s dubbed founder, Ninian Edwards. In the fall, the city changed the name of a small park in downtown Edwardsville from Ninian Edwards Plaza to City Plaza. And last week, the city took a park statue of Edwards off its pedestal after a local group, Our Edwardsville, asked for its removal because of the figure’s pro-slavery stances and wars against Native Americans.

Madison countyUnited statesSouthern illinois universitySarah fenskeEmily klingensmithNinian edwards plazaJon parkinAnthony cheeseboroNinian edwardsMadison county historical museum archival libraryCity plazaPaola rodriguezCity parkMadison county historical museumArchival librarySouthern illinois university edwardsville