Boston removes 1879 statue of Abraham Lincoln and Archer Alexander after protests

A 141-year-old statue depicting Abraham Lincoln with a kneeling Archer Alexander, a formerly enslaved man, was removed from Boston's Park Square this week. The Boston Art Commission voted for its removal six months ago amid nationwide protests against problematic monuments. The replica of Thomas Ball's 1879 work, originally funded by freed enslaved people and Black Union Army veterans, has been criticized as degrading and perpetuating white dominance. While the original remains in Lincoln Park, Washington, D.C., the Boston version will be stored temporarily. The city is soliciting proposals for relocating the monument to a new public site with improved contextual explanation. Mayor's office stated the decision addressed the statue's role in obscuring Black Americans' contributions to freedom.