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- Jan 1, 2020
After New York City’s American Museum of Natural History made the decision to remove the statue of former president Theodore Roosevelt from its entrance, actor Ben Stiller suggested that the 14-foot statue be replaced with a statue of deceased comic actor, Robin Williams.
"How about replacing it with a statue of Robin Williams. He deserves one," the 'Zoolander' actor wrote in the comment section of a tweet by 'The New York Times' which said, "Theodore Roosevelt's statue will be removed from the Museum of Natural History in New York City. The memorial has long prompted objections as a symbol of colonialism." The tweet also had a link to their article about the removal of the statue made by the board of the museum.
Stiller was the leading hero in the 2006 fantasy-comedy film directed by Shawn Levy called 'Night at the Museum' where he played the night watchman at the American Museum of Natural History. In the movie, which was also succeeded by two sequels – 'Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian' in 2009, and 'Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb' in 2014 – Robin Williams incidentally played the role of Teddy Roosevelt, who helps Stiller's character understand the secret behind the exhibits coming to life.
Roosevelt's statue, which is yet to get toppled displays the ex-POTUS on horseback and flanked by a Native American man and an African man. It has presided over the entrance of the museum for the last 80 years. The decision proposed by the museum and agreed by the NYC, which owns the building as well as the property on which it has been built, came in the midst of nationwide protests against racism, following the death of African-American man George Floyd, after a Minneapolis police officer knelt his neck for around eight minutes.
“Over the last few weeks, our museum community has been profoundly moved by the ever-widening movement for racial justice that has emerged after the killing of George Floyd,” the museum’s president, Ellen V. Futter, said in an interview. “We have watched as the attention of the world and the country has increasingly turned to statues as powerful and hurtful symbols of systemic racism.”
The move comes amid a heated national debate over the appropriateness of statues or monuments that first focused on Confederate symbols. A number of statues ranging from George Washington to Thomas Jefferson have been either removed or demanded to be removed from around the country. However, while in most cases, the demands arose from Black Lives Matter protesters, the calls for removing Roosevelt's statue was different.
“The American Museum of Natural History has asked to remove the Theodore Roosevelt statue because it explicitly depicts Black and Indigenous people as subjugated and racially inferior,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said. “The City supports the Museum’s request. It is the right decision and the right time to remove this problematic statue.”
The decision to remove the statue was approved by a family member of Roosevelt. “The world does not need statues, relics of another age, that reflect neither the values of the person they intend to honor nor the values of equality and justice,” said 77-year-old Theodore Roosevelt IV, age 77, a great-grandson of Teddy Roosevelt. “The composition of the Equestrian Statue does not reflect Theodore Roosevelt’s legacy. It is time to move the statue and move forward.” a statement. “The City supports the Museum’s request. It is the right decision and the right time to remove this problematic statue.”
