‘This Is Reparations:’ S.F. School Board Votes to Paint Over Controversial High School Mural
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The San Francisco Board of Education voted Tuesday to paint over a mural series showing George Washington as a slave owner and promoter of the United States’ genocidal westward expansion, acknowledging decades of complaints about the depiction of a dead Native American and enslaved African Americans inside George Washington High School.
The unanimous vote instructed district staff to develop a plan to paint over all 13 panels of Victor Arnautoff’s “Life of Washington” mural, which is expected to cost some $600,000 and take more than a year to implement. In the event of “undue delay,” according to the amended motion by commissioner Mark Sanchez, the school board retains the option of covering the mural temporarily with paneling.
“This is reparations,” Sanchez said, dismissing concerns about estimated costs.
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