Statue formerly in Golden Gate Park
A 30-foot (9.1 m) tall statue of
Junípero Serra was installed in
San Francisco 's
Golden Gate Park , in the
U.S. state of
California . It had first been erected in 1907 and sculpted by
Douglas Tilden . The memorial was toppled on June 19, 2020, during the
George Floyd protests , as a
Juneteenth commemoration.
[1] The next day another memorial for Serra was torn down in Los Angeles at Father Serra Park by about five dozen indigenous activists.
[2]
[3] Other
statues of Junípero Serra were involved as the protests expanded to include monuments of individuals associated with the controversy over the
genocide of indigenous peoples in the Americas.
[4] Demonstrators also toppled or otherwise vandalized the statues of
Francis Scott Key (author of the lyrics to
The Star-Spangled Banner ),
Ulysses S. Grant , and a group consisting of
Don Quixote and his companion,
Sancho Panza kneeling to honor their creator,
Cervantes .
[4]
Serra, as a major part of the California mission development by Spain in the 18th century, attempted to convert Native Californians to Catholicism.
[5] Serra's reputation and missionary work have been condemned by critics, who cite alleged mandatory conversions to Catholicism, followed by abuse of the Native American converts.
[6]
[7]
See also
References
^ Severn, Carly (July 7, 2020).
" 'How Do We Heal?' Toppling the Myth of Junípero Serra" . KQED . Retrieved July 30, 2021 .
^ Miranda, Carolina A. (June 21, 2020).
"At Los Angeles toppling of Junipero Serra statue, activists want full history told" .
Los Angeles Times .
Archived from the original on June 26, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2020 .
^ Hurd, Cheryl; Smith, Christie; Quintana, Sergio (June 19, 2020).
"Demonstrators Topple Statues in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park" . NBC Bay Area .
Archived from the original on January 25, 2022. Retrieved June 23, 2020 .
^
a
b Rubenstein, Steve; Swan, Rachel (June 20, 2020).
"Historical statues toppled as rage spills into San Francisco's Golden Gate Park" . San Francisco Chronicle .
Archived from the original on December 4, 2021. Retrieved June 24, 2020 .
^ Lind, Dara (September 24, 2015).
"Junipero Serra was a brutal colonialist. So why did Pope Francis just make him a saint?" . Vox .
Archived from the original on May 22, 2021. Retrieved July 30, 2021 .
^ Moran, Katherine (July 16, 2020).
"The secret, not-so-saintly history of Junipero Serra statues" . San Francisco Chronicle .
Archived from the original on April 28, 2021. Retrieved July 30, 2021 .
^ Phippen, J. Weston (September 22, 2015).
"Why Native Americans Oppose Junipero Serra's Sainthood" . The Atlantic .
Archived from the original on April 28, 2021. Retrieved July 30, 2021 .
External links
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Key : ✻ Pending removal