On Tuesday, President Trump warned against setting the dangerous precedent of removing historical Confederate statues, explicitly naming the first president, George Washington. “You have to ask yourself, where does it stop,” he said.
Although President Trump was brutally mocked for making such a claim, he was correct, of course.
A local pastor is now calling on Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel to scrub president George Washington and Andrew Jackson’s names from parks in the city because they were slave holders.
“Bishop James Dukes sent a letter to Mayor Emanuel and the Chicago Park District on Monday asking the City of Chicago to rename Washington and Jackson Parks which commemorate former presidents George Washington and Andrew Jackson, key historical figures and known slave owners,” reports WGN TV.
“When my children and grandchildren walk through these parks and say, ‘Grandfather, wasn’t he a slave owner?,’ how do I explain that and how do I reconcile that with their views of what heroes are?” said Mr. Dukes.
“I’m not trying to eradicate history,” he said. “Let’s put history where it belongs so it can be explained and taught properly.”
“Mayor Emanuel has not responded yet, but Dukes says he is meeting with a city official soon to discuss the process for changing the names,” notes WGN TV.