York - The Statue of a Black Man that was built up and then torn down
YORK’S STATUE – Erected in February 2021 Defaced in June 2021 Toppled and damaged in July 2021 In February, this year (2021) I wrote an article about a statue that mysteriously appeared in a forested area in Mt. Tabor Park in Portland Oregon, USA. It was a statue of a black man, the first African American to cross North America and reach the Pacific Ocean. The man’s name was York. He was the slave of William Clark “an enslaved member of the Lewis and Clark expedition.” York was forced to take part in the Corps of Discovery Expedition 1804 – 1806 to find an all water route to the Pacific. No one in the community knew how the bust of Clark got there. What was even more peculiar was that the statue of the black man, York, replaced one that was toppled - one of a white man, named Harvey Scott. What was the reason why Scott’s statue was removed? “Because of his (Scott’s) past conservative views on women’s suffrage, which he opposed.” Y