Yesterday, I traveled to New York City to meet with Young Americans for Freedom activists and conservative allies in the area to help rally in support of President Theodore Roosevelt and his statue in front of the American Museum of Natural History. This followed last week’s announcement that the museum would be removing the statue due to claims that it serves as a “symbol of racism.”
The original intent of the monument, as explained by its sculpture James Earl Frasier, was to communicate, “Friendliness to all races.” Unfortunately, the Left in NYC unsurprisingly chooses to ignore this and Roosevelt’s tremendous legacy that placed a respect for all peoples in America and around the globe.
The protest, which we co-organized with The Federalist’s David Marcus and columnist at Townhall Gavin Wax, should serve as an inspiration for conservatives. Nearly 200 patriotic Americans from all ages and walks of life gathered peacefully near the statue. All throughout the event, onlookers cheered us on and thanked us for being there. Despite New York being considered one of the most antagonistic cities towards America’s founding principles, very few people actually expressed any discontent with the rally. During the rally, only a handful of people genuinely expressed any disagreement, and a few street preachers – who were seen protesting BLM in Washington D.C. last Tuesday – showed up simply to trying and steal attention.
Considering this, it’s really disappointing to see that New York Mayer Bill de Blasio and the city government are willing to kowtow to angry leftist demands, and destroy this noble monument erected to inspire its community.
Samuel Levit, the chairman of Union College YAF was one of the many participants. Samuel described the decision to remove the statue as disgraceful. “This bitter attempt at removing the statue of a great American leader is nothing more than historical negationism,” he told YAF. “This is an illegitimate movement that stems from spite towards our country.”
“I was very pleasantly surprised that there was such a strong showing of support for Teddy across the spectrum of age and race,” said Harrison High School YAF activist Luke Wong. “Seeing young people from all walks of life protesting alongside retirees alike gave me hope that at least some people paid attention in history! ”
If New York’s leaders are inclined to demolish statues of heroes like Theodore Roosevelt, what other great monuments are they willing to surrender at the demands of the flagitious Left?
Kyle Ferrebee is the Executive Director of Young Americans for Freedom.