Statue of Junípero Serra (San Francisco)
Statue of Junípero Serra | |
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Subject | Junípero Serra |
Location | San Francisco, California, U.S. |
A 30-foot tall statue of Junípero Serra was installed in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, in the U.S. state of California. It had first been erected in 1907 and sculpted by Douglas Tilden. The memorial was toppled on June 19th, 2020 during the George Floyd protests, as a Juneteenth commemoration. [1] Following the toppling of the statue in San Francisco, the next day another memorial for Serra was torn down in Los Angeles at Father Serra Park by about five dozen indigenous activists. [2] [3] Other statues of Junípero Serra were involved as the protests expanded to include monuments of individuals associated with the controversy over the genocide of indigenous peoples in the Americas.[4] Demonstrators also toppled or otherwise vandalized the statues of Francis Scott Key (author of the lyrics to The Star-Spangled Banner), Ulysses S. Grant, and a group consisting of Don Quixote and his companion, Sancho Panza kneeling to honor their creator, Cervantes.[4] Serra, as a major part of the California mission development by Spain in the 18th century, attempted to convert Native Californians to Catholicism through force and confinement to cramped missions. His goal was to baptize them, as that would prevent them from leaving. Any Native American that tried to leave was beaten. [5] More Natives were dying at these missions than being born. [6] The narrative written was that Serra was a hero and a Catholic missionary founding father. Although this belief relied on the belief that the white Euro-American christening and “ civilizing” missions are a hero. [7]
See also
- Father Serra statue – erected in front of Ventura County Courthouse
- Junípero Serra (Cadorin)
- List of monuments and memorials removed during the George Floyd protests
- Statue of Junípero Serra (Los Angeles)
References
- ^ Severn, C. (2020, July 07). 'How do we heal?' toppling the myth of junípero serra. Retrieved April 21, 2021, from https://www.kqed.org/news/11826151/how-do-we-heal-toppling-the-myth-of-junipero-serra
- ^ Miranda, C. A. (2020, June 21). At Los ANGELES toppling of Junipero SERRA statue, activists want full history told. Retrieved April 21, 2021, from https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2020-06-20/statue-junipero-serra-monument-protest-activists-take-down-los-angeles
- ^ Hurd, Cheryl; Smith, Christie; Quintana, Sergio (June 19, 2020). "Demonstrators Topple Statues in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park". NBC Bay Area. Retrieved 2020-06-23.
- ^ a b Rubenstein, Steve; Swan, Rachel (June 20, 2020). "Historical statues toppled as rage spills into San Francisco's Golden Gate Park". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2020-06-24.
- ^ J. Weston Phippen, N. (2020, February 18). Why native Americans Oppose Junipero Serra's sainthood. Retrieved April 21, 2021, from https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/09/why-native-americans-oppose-junipero-serras-sainthood/432876/
- ^ Lind, D. (2015, September 24). Junipero Serra was a brutal colonialist. so Why did Pope Francis just make him a saint? Retrieved April 25, 2021, from https://www.vox.com/2015/9/24/9391995/junipero-serra-saint-pope-francis
- ^ J.Katherine Moran, N. (July 16, 2020).The secret, not-so-saintly history of Junipero Serra statues. Retrieved April 21, 2021, from https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/openforum/article/The-secret-not-so-saintly-history-of-Junipero-15411799.php
External links
- Media related to Father Junipero Serra by Douglas Tilden at Wikimedia Commons