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Silicon Valley groups are calling for a mural they say is racist to be removed from the Palo Alto branch of the Santa Clara County Superior Court.
Several groups including the NAACP San Jose/Silicon Valley and Muwekma Ohlone tribe said a mural inside the hallway of the Palo Alto branch displays colonialist imagery, denigrating Native Americans.
“The portrayal of our ancestors as scantily clad and kneeling before those religious clerics who enslaved us glosses over the reality of our existence: a reality that has been marred by systematic genocide,” Charlene Nijmeh, chair of the Muwekma Ohlone tribe, said in a statement. “The image of a ship on the horizon carries with it not just historical baggage, but represents the continuous trauma inflicted upon my people, the Muwekma Ohlone, who have been the rightful guardians of this land that stretches across San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara and beyond for countless generations.”
Because the courthouse is on county property, the court cannot do anything about the sprawling mural without county approval, according to Lisa Herrick, court assistant executive officer. The court has raised its concerns to the county for several years, but the county has taken a position that it is a historical piece of art that cannot be painted over.
“We absolutely do not want it to be displayed,” Herrick told San José Spotlight. “Covering the painting without damaging it is something that we are now contemplating because the county has informed us that it is a work of art and that we cannot remove it.”
The county sought consultants, including an art appraiser, to help it navigate the issue. The Art Asset Management group prepared a lengthy report for the county, in which it advised preserving the mural because it adds historical context to the times when Spain sent Catholic missionaries to North America to expand territory and convert Native Americans.
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“There is no erasing that part of history,” the report read. “We can look back and regret the past, but without knowing and recognizing the past, we might forget that these things happened and find ourselves in the same place — wanting to destroy a foreign culture, people or religion, as it is scary to us. What we can do is educate, to use this as a teaching moment.”
The mural was painted by Mary Dill Henry around 1961 during a time when artists were commissioned to paint government and corporate buildings, according to the research report. In the 1930s and 40s, hundreds of controversial murals featuring Native Americans were painted on U.S. post offices during the New Deal under President Franklin Roosevelt. Henry also produced other artwork in the Bay Area, including at the Emporium in San Francisco and the First California State Capitol in Monterey.
County Deputy Executive Sylvia Gallegos told San José Spotlight the county takes a cautionary approach in removing art on its property, particularly when the artist hasn’t waived their rights. In a letter County Executive James Williams sent to the court, he suggested the mural remain uncovered, with an addition of a plaque to provide historical context and commentary on the painting.
“We can look back and regret the past, but without knowing and recognizing the past, we might forget that these things happened and find ourselves in the same place — wanting to destroy a foreign culture, people or religion, as it is scary to us.”
Art Asset Management
“The mural presents a worthwhile opportunity for contemplation and public engagement with artwork and local history, with a recognition of the complexity and contested nature of the subject matter and the subjectivity involved in its depiction,” Williams said in the letter.
Raymond Goins, member of the NAACP San Jose/Silicon Valley who is leading the effort to remove the mural, said some history shouldn’t be showcased.
“The Confederate flag is a historical piece of work, and we don’t fly that,” he told San José Spotlight.
The NAACP plans to meet with Santa Clara County Supervisor Margaret Abe-Koga, whose district covers the Palo Alto court branch, to discuss removing or covering the mural.
Abe-Koga said the it’s important that all government facilities are inviting to everyone.
“As this mural is offensive to some members of our community, I support removing it,“ she told San José Spotlight.
While the county does not want the mural to be removed, it will support a concealment of the mural paid for by the court.
“We don’t want to strip history from all of our contemporary spaces, but we do want a full context around imagery that promotes harmful narratives — like that of the altruistic priest civilizing savages,” Nijmeh told San José Spotlight. “Removing these depictions from the Palo Alto Superior Court is especially important because this building is tasked with rendering justice today.”
Contact Joyce Chu at joyce@sanjosespotlight.com or @joyce_speaks on X.
This story originally appeared in San José Spotlight.
The post ‘It is scary to us’: Santa Clara County court mural is racist, Silicon Valley advocates say appeared first on Local News Matters.