
A San Francisco high school has decided to paint over a mural entitled, “Life of Washington,” because America’s first (and greatest) president is now seen as “problematic.”
San Francisco will spend up to $600,000 to paint over historical artwork at a public school depicting the life of George Washington, a mural once seen as educational and innovative but now criticized as racist and degrading for its depiction of black and Native American people.
Years ago, when the leftists started erasing Confederate statues and paintings, I told people they would eventually come for Washington and Jefferson. People laughed at me. Anyone laughing now?
The “Life of Washington” was painted by Victor Arnautoff, one of the foremost muralists in the San Francisco area during the Depression. The San Francisco School Board’s decision to paint over the 83-year-old mural is prompting some to worry that other artwork from the so-called New Deal era could face a similar fate because of changing sensitivities.
In addition to depicting Washington as a soldier, surveyor and statesman, the 13-panel, 1,600-square foot mural at George Washington High School contains images of white pioneers standing over the body of a Native American and slaves working at Washington’s Mount Vernon estate in Virginia.
So an accurate portrayal of George Washington, warts and all, must be erased from public view before some public school student decides to think for himself. Leftists have destroyed the American education system. The teachers and administrators – most, but not all – spend their days indoctrinating their students instead of teaching them. These people are the problem, not the solution.
The board’s decision last week comes at a time when the legacies of Washington and other historical figures who owned slaves are being re-examined. Some cities have changed the names of streets and buildings named after slave owners.
Just last week, the Charlottesville, Virginia City Council decided to remove Thomas Jefferson’s birthday from the holiday register, and will no longer celebrate the event. Jefferson was a lifelong resident of Charlottesville, and founded the University of Virginia there.
Jefferson was a slaveholder, you see, so his name must be stricken from the public record.