Will Jackson County take down its statues of Andrew Jackson?

By Nomin Ujiyediin,

Published June 15, 2023 at 4:00 AM CDT

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Legislators in Jackson County will consider a new resolution calling for statues of President Andrew Jackson to be dismantled and removed from the front of courthouses in Kansas City and Independence. The namesake of Jackson County was a slaveholder and largely responsible for the forced removal of Native Americans, but a previous vote to remove the statue failed in 2020.

U.S. President Andrew Jackson was a slaveholder and a major architect of the forced relocation of Native Americans. He's also the namesake of Jackson County, Missouri, and statutes of him currently stand in front of courthouses in Kansas City and Independence.

A county-wide vote to remove the statues failed in 2020, but now, Jackson County legislators are once again considering dismantling the statues.

Host Nomin Ujiyediin spoke with KCUR reporter Sam Zeff about the history of Jackson, the controversy over the statues, and what might happen next with the legislature.

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Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Paris Norvell, Byron Love and KCUR Studios and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Lisa Rodriguez.

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