Author John Cribb criticized the continuing trend to remove American presidents from the public square during a Thursday Fox News appearance, saying a decision to remove names like George Washington and Abraham Lincoln from San Francisco area schools might mean that “wokeness has finally jumped the shark.”
“It’s unbelievable … 44 names, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Paul Revere. The only good thing you could say about this is it’s so absurd, so ridiculous, that maybe wokeness has finally jumped the shark out here in San Francisco and people will say, ‘Enough,'” Cribb told “Fox & Friends.”
San Francisco’s Board of Education approved the renaming of 44 public schools that honor presidents and American historical figures on Tuesday. (RELATED: ‘Not Doing Their Job’: Trump Criticizes DC Police As Confederate Statue Toppled Right Outside Their Headquarters)
Cribb, who says Facebook refused to post ads for his new book “Old Abe,” said he felt it was incredible that Lincoln has fallen into such disrepute today.
“I mean, Abraham Lincoln. This is the man who led the effort to save the union, save our country when it was literally falling apart. [He] led the effort to defend our founding principles and helped lead the effort to free millions of enslaved Americans — and that’s not enough for these people?” Cribb asked. “What great accomplishments do you have under your belt that allow you to stand in judgment of Abraham Lincoln? Have you no humility? The arrogance of it is really breathtaking.”
The author argued that few, if any, figures from the past had led lives that would completely please contemporary critics. “By any measure, Abraham Lincoln lived a great life and his accomplishments are magnificent — same for the other people on this list. We should be revering and honoring people, not tearing them down.” (RELATED: Toppling Historical Statues ‘A Healthy Expression’ Of Rage)
The Lincoln Park ‘Emancipation’ statue, a statue that is among monuments drawing scrutiny that depicts former US President Abraham Lincoln standing over a kneeling freed Africans American man, is seen in Washington, DC, on June 22, 2020. (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)
Statues of Lincoln have been defaced, vandalized and torn down across America by activists who insist the president was a white supremacist. Boston removed a monument to Lincoln from a city park in December.
Democratic New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has promised that the statue of President Theodore Roosevelt would be removed from the entrance of the Museum of Natural History. Protesters have also torn down statues of President and Civil War Gen. Ulysses S. Grant as well as American anthem composer Francis Scott Key in San Francisco.