麻豆社

On Monday, city officials in New York unanimously agreed to remove the statue of Thomas Jefferson from the New York City Council Chamber.聽 Jefferson was the United State's third president, and lionised as one of the country's founding fathers, but was also a prolific slaveholder and known to have fathered children with one of his slaves, Sally Hemings.聽The agreement to remove the statue was the result of a twenty-year campaign.

Inez Barron, a council member for the Democratic Party, was part of the campaign to remove the statue.聽She explains why she believes the statue should be removed, and why she doesn't think it's appropriate for the statue to be moved to the New York Historical Society, which is the current plan.

"I think it's important that we remove the statue so we don't venerate or give any kind of exaltation to a person who was involved in human trafficking."

Photo: The statue of former US President Thomas Jefferson in the council chambers in New York's City Hall