(AP & TWC News) Anti-racism activists are pushing for the removal of a racially insensitive image on a publicly-owned historic carousel located at a Rochester beach.
Several people who spoke at Wednesday night's meeting of the Rochester Preservation Board called on officials to take down the panel, which depicts two black children in a crude, exaggerated style. The painted panel is one of 18 located above the carousel's horses.
"We are talking about one panel that depicts African American children, by extension, African American people, in a very negative, derogatory and racist manor," Howard Eagle of Rochester told Time Warner Cable News.
Eagle said it's an example of pickaninny, a form of entertainment which dates back to the 1800s.
The carousel, built by the Dentzel Carousel Co. in 1905, is located at Ontario Beach Park. Considered one of the few of its kind in the nation, it's owned by the city of Rochester but managed and operated by Monroe County.
City officials say any changes to the carousel would first have to be proposed by the county before the preservation board could take up the matter.
