Protesters Tear Down Columbus and Confederate Statues Across the U.S.

During the 2020 protests, demonstrators pulled down or damaged statues of Christopher Columbus, Confederate leaders, and other historical figures associated with slavery and colonialism across the U.S. A Columbus statue in Richmond, VA was torn down and thrown into a lake. The Francis Scott Key statue in San Francisco was pulled down. Protesters in Boston, Baltimore, and Camden, NJ removed Columbus statues. The actions prompted debate about public memory, historical accountability, and the difference between erasure and reckoning. Cities including Baltimore and Richmond moved quickly to officially remove remaining Confederate monuments.