The National Coalition Against Censorship is dismayed by the news of the premature removal of an art billboard that is part of a temporary project with the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, shortly after Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed called for its deinstallation. The billboard shows a 1965 Spider Martin photograph of state troopers staring down Black civil rights protesters on Bloody Sunday, with the slogan popularized by President Trump, “Make America Great Again,” in the foreground.
While for some, the billboard may be “divisive,” others in the community may appreciate the parallels it draws between histories of segregation and the calls by the current presidential administration to outlaw initiatives focused on racial equality and inclusion. Mayor Reed’s call to remove the work raises serious First Amendment concerns.
Read NCAC’s full letter to Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed here: Click here for a full-screen view: