Statue of Junípero Serra
The statue in 2015
SubjectJunípero Serra
LocationSan Francisco, California, U.S.
Coordinates37°46′19″N 122°28′00″W / 37.77183°N 122.46657°W / 37.77183; -122.46657

A 30-foot (9.1 m) 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 19, 2020, during the George Floyd protests, as a Juneteenth commemoration.[1] 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.[5] Serra's reputation and missionary work have been condemned by critics, who cite alleged mandatory conversions to Catholicism, followed by abuse of the Native American converts.[6][7]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Severn, Carly (July 7, 2020). "'How Do We Heal?' Toppling the Myth of Junípero Serra". KQED. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  2. ↑ Miranda, Carolina A. (June 21, 2020). "At Los Angeles toppling of Junipero Serra statue, activists want full history told". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 26, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  3. ↑ Hurd, Cheryl; Smith, Christie; Quintana, Sergio (June 19, 2020). "Demonstrators Topple Statues in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park". NBC Bay Area. Archived from the original on January 25, 2022. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  4. 1 2 Rubenstein, Steve; Swan, Rachel (June 20, 2020). "Historical statues toppled as rage spills into San Francisco's Golden Gate Park". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on December 4, 2021. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  5. ↑ Lind, Dara (September 24, 2015). "Junipero Serra was a brutal colonialist. So why did Pope Francis just make him a saint?". Vox. Archived from the original on May 22, 2021. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  6. ↑ Moran, Katherine (July 16, 2020). "The secret, not-so-saintly history of Junipero Serra statues". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on April 28, 2021. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  7. ↑ Phippen, J. Weston (September 22, 2015). "Why Native Americans Oppose Junipero Serra's Sainthood". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on April 28, 2021. Retrieved July 30, 2021.


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