DC lawmaker reintroduces bill to remove emancipation statue from park

WASHINGTON (WJLA) — A D.C. lawmaker is working to remove a civil rights statue for the second time.

The The Emancipation Memorial, also known as the Freedman's Memorial, was dedicated in 1876, but now Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton wants it removed.

She and others have been working on the removal of the statue and there have been rallies and threats to tear it down.

Freed slaves actually paid for the statue, but some argue they had little to do with the design.

The statue shows Abraham Lincoln with his hand over a former slave. There is debate on the statue, as some believe it shows the man rising up, while others say he is bowed below Lincoln.

Well, it sends a message that African Americans would agree is inappropriate, was inappropriate then, and is particularly inappropriate now," Holmes Norton said.

Holmes Norton announced her bill to have the statue removed during Black History Month. She said she would like the statue in a museum, so that people could learn the history.