William & Mary's Jefferson statue plastered in sticky notes
The sticky notes label Jefferson "pedophile," "rapist," and "racist."
A similar statue at the University of Missouri was also covered in sticky notes last month.
Sticky notes labeled “pedophile,” “rapist,” and “racist” covered a statue of Thomas Jefferson at the College of William & Mary on Monday.
It is unclear which student or group placed the notes, but it appears to be a reference to the Concerned Student 1950 protests at the University of Missouri. In October, similar sticky notes were placed on a statue of Jefferson at the University of Missouri campus. That action was later met with a counter-protest supporting the statue’s presence on campus.
Thomas Jefferson received his undergraduate education at William & Mary, as did presidents John Tyler and James Monroe. The school has been called the “Alma Mater of a Nation.”
Maxwell Little, who says he is an original member of the Concerned Student 1950 movement at University of Missouri, also posted a picture of the notes on William & Mary’s Jefferson statue on Twitter.
@theflathat @williamandmary #PostYourStateofMind pic.twitter.com/bB1U6xP5M3
— Maxwell (@MaxHPF) November 13, 2015
Little created a petition months ago to remove a statue of Thomas Jefferson from the University of Missouri’s campus.
“The need to project a progressive environment is just as important as food and shelter to survive… Some individuals may not see Thomas Jefferson’s statue in the quad as a form of oppression, but in higher education settings where highly conscious students are present, it is relatively easy to see and read such nonverbal messages,” the petition states.
Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @emilyelarsen
