'The worst we have ever seen': Statue depicting Sacagawea being removed

Monday, December 2, 2019  

The city council in Charlottesville, Virginia, voted last month to move a statue depicting Sacagawea, the Native woman who helped the Lewis and Clark expedition in the early 1800s, at the feet of the White men assigned to lead it.

The vote came after a lengthy work session on November 15, during which council members heard from descendants of Sacagawea's Shoshone family. Rose Ann Abrahamson, a citizen of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, said the depiction of her ancestor as subservient to men was dehumanizing and offensive.

“This statue in Charlottesville was the worst we have ever seen,” Abrahamson said during the session, The Charlottesville Daily Progress reported.

The council plans to move the statue to a new site that hasn't been identified, National Public Radio reported. It will be replaced by a more accurate portrayal of Sacagawea.

In Virginia, Sacagawea Gets Her Own Statue (National Public Radio December 1, 2019)
Charlottesville votes to remove another statue, and more controversy follows (The Washington Post November 29, 2019)
City Council passes resolution for the removal of Lewis, Clark and Sacagawea statue (The Cavalier Daily November 18, 2019)
City Council votes to remove Lewis-Clark-Sacagawea statue (The Charlottesville Daily Progress November 15, 2019)

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