Racist Monuments: US Removal & Ongoing Debate | Art & Design
The battle over racist monuments continues, with a new landmark “Victory” by Vinnie Bagwell set to replace a statue of J. Marion Sims in New York City,marking a significant shift.This art and design piece symbolizes the triumph over enslavement, featuring a Black woman with wings. The project’s journey highlights the intricate obstacles in diversifying public spaces,including budget cuts and initial artist choices. News Directory 3 follows the challenges and the eventual approval in June 2025, putting Bagwell on track. Consider the broader landscape: the slow march to replace Confederate statues. Examine a concerning 2025 executive order by donald Trump that could reverse progress. Reflect on the underrepresentation of Black and Indigenous figures in national monuments. Discover what’s next for the movement.
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The article discusses the creation of “Victory,” a monument by Vinnie Bagwell, a Black woman sculptor, that will replace a statue of J. Marion Sims on Fifth Avenue in New York City. Sims’ statue was removed in April 2018 due to his unethical experiments on enslaved Black women.
Bagwell’s monument will be the first memorial to a Black woman on Fifth Avenue. It depicts a Black woman with wings, symbolizing the enslavement of millions. The monument includes braille inscriptions and silhouettes of women on the back to honor Sims’ victims.
The project faced delays and obstacles, including initial selection of a different artist and budget cuts. Despite these challenges, the design was approved in June 2025, and Bagwell can now begin work.The article also touches on the broader issue of replacing Confederate statues and symbols following the 2020 racial justice protests. It mentions the slow progress in replacing a monument of Roger Taney with one of Thurgood Marshall in the US Capitol. A 2025 executive order by Donald Trump to restore removed monuments puts progress in diversifying the public landscape in jeopardy.
The article references Frederick Douglass‘s criticism of the Emancipation Memorial and highlights the underrepresentation of Black and Indigenous people in national monuments.