Opinion | The author's opinion does not necessarily reflect Sarah Palin's view.
The Biden administration announced plans to remove the statue of Pennsylvania founder William Penn from Welcome Park in Philadelphia in order to rehabilitate the area and provide a more inclusive experience for visitors.
The statue, erected to celebrate the 300th anniversary of Penn’s founding of Pennsylvania, will be replaced by educational offerings about Native American history.
The decision was made in consultation with representatives of indigenous nations, and public feedback was encouraged. (Trending: Chilling Arrest Footage of Trump Co-Defendant Provides Glimpse Into Jack Smith Probe)
We need your input on Welcome Park rehabilitation! More info at: https://t.co/owkb3jxBIV pic.twitter.com/nh092m4S5W
— IndependenceNPS 🇺🇸 (@INDEPENDENCENHP) January 5, 2024
“The park is located on the site of William Penn’s home, the Slate Roof House, and is named for the ship, Welcome, which transported Penn to Philadelphia,” the release read.
“The proposed rehabilitation of Welcome Park includes expanded interpretation of the Native American history of Philadelphia and was developed in consultation with representatives of the indigenous nations of the Haudenosaunee, the Delaware Nation, Delaware Tribe of Indians, the Shawnee Tribe, and the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma,” it added.
“The Penn statue and Slate Roof house model will be removed and not reinstalled,” the park service stated.
“In a separate and future effort, new exhibit panels will be installed on the south site wall to replace the Penn timeline,” it noted.
However, the announcement was met with a negative reaction on social media, with some expressing opposition to the plan and the use of tax money for the project.
“Leave the statue right where it is,” one X user wrote.
“How about no more of our tax money for the US Park Service?” another said.
“William Penn remained a dominant point in Center City’s skyline because of a ‘gentlemen’s agreement’ that no skyscraper would be built higher than the brim of Penn’s hat,” the the Association for Public Art said.
“Thus, a single work of art exerted a profound influence on the city’s architectural development,” it added.
“In 1986, the gentlemen’s agreement was finally broken, but ‘Billy Penn’ continues to command the long vistas of Broad Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.”
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