Historical images of George Washington’s life will soon vanish from San Francisco’s Washington High School over accusations of racism.
In 1936, Victor Arnautoff, a left-leaning artist who went on to join the Communist Party, created a 13-panel mural that was meant to show an accurate depiction of U.S. history — warts and all. His art, however, was deemed so offensive this week by school board officials that they will spend anywhere from $375,000 to $825,000 to hide it from public view.
“It is a racist mural. My history should not be racist but it is. I came from slaves,” said Virginia Marshall with the Alliance of Black School Educators, a local Fox News affiliate reported Tuesday.
The “Fog City” fight over the mural required at least four other such meetings between December 2018 and February 2019.
“The school board will now consider three options in deciding the fate of the mural: covering it up with curtains, covering it with panels or painting over it,” the station reported.
Critics of the mural claim it “glorifies slavery, genocide, colonization, manifest destiny, white supremacy, oppression, etc.,” the Richmond District Blog reported April 9.
School board officials are expected to confirm the method of removing or hiding the mural on June 25, the station reported.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.