PULLMAN, Wash. — The Pullman Neill Public Library Board will discuss the future of a Thomas Jefferson portrait hanging in the library during their Tuesday meeting. Multiple residents have reportedly requested the photo's removal.
The board reportedly received four emails from residents asking for the removal of the Jefferson portrait hanging at the main library entrance. In the emails, residents expressed their concerns about the portrait and asked for a more appropriate figure or paint replacement.
The emails also expressed concerns about Jefferson's "conflicting" stance on slavery and claim he was abusive towards enslaved women.
According to an article from the Associated Press (AP), Jefferson owned more than 600 slaves over the course of his life, despite his recorded stance on the idea of equality. The article also states that Jefferson believed that Black people were inherently inferior to whites.
The figure of Jefferson is controversial in U.S. history, as evidence suggests that Jefferson fathered at least six children with Sally Hemings, an enslaved woman who was the half-sister of Jefferson's late wife. Jefferson and Hemings' relationship, now generally accepted as a fact by historians of the era, began when she was a teenager, according to AP.
Jefferson's controversial views and actions are the reason several Pullman residents have called for the removal of his photo from the library.
KREM 2 obtained copies of the emails the library received, several of which called for the removal of the portrait while others suggested the photo be replaced with a display of someone else:
"If the library chooses to display this particular artwork, I request it not be placed in such a prominent position."
"By exhibiting this painting at the entry, the library seems to embrace the painting's subject at all of flaws. While Jefferson held a prominent position in our country's history, he was a slave-holder who profited from the labors of human beings that he held in bondage as non-sentient property."
"I know Jefferson was a proponent of libraries and learning, but I think there are so many more prominent people in history we can honor."
"Just because one receives an unsolicited gift does not mean that one needs to put it on display or in a place of honor. It would be so much more meaningful to have a rotating piece of art following a theme or book study or wall of children's art with accompanying credits."
The portrait's future will be discussed on Tuesday, Jan. 4, at 5 p.m., during the Neill Library Board meeting. People can join the meeting in person at the library, or listen to the meeting over Zoom or their phones.
This is a developing story and it will be updated when more information becomes available.