WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st July, 2020) The authorities of Sitka, Alaska, have not offered yet the statue of the city's founder Alexander Baranov to the local history museum, the museum's Executive Director Hal Spackman told Sputnik.
"The city and borough of Sitka has not officially offered the statue to us at this time. We do not know when the city plans to offer the statue to us," Spackman said on Monday.
Last week, the Sitka city assembly adopted a resolution to relocate the Baranov statue to the Sitka Historical Society Museum. In 1799, Baranov founded Sitka - called at that time Novo-Archangelsk - as the capital of the Russian colonies in North America.
The Russian Community Council of the USA (RCC), which previously organized a petition and collected almost 6,000 signatures against removing the statue, sent a letter to the museum asking that it to cooperate with the Russian diaspora in providing comprehensive information about Baranov to visitors.
"Yes, I received this letter and am appreciative of the Russian Community Council's offer of assistance to help our museum interpret and provide historical context about Baranov's tenure in Alaska," Spackman said.
Spackman expressed confidence the RCC resources will prove valuable as the museum determines how to best display the Baranov statue.
"We will strive to provide a cooperative, objective environment for all people who wish to offer their perspectives about the statue and its resulting display and interpretation," he said.
Spackman said the History Museum is currently awaiting the Sitka authorities' formal decision on the statues and is trying to determine where to place it.
"We have a number of appropriate spaces for the statue's display that will not require us to reconfigure our permanent exhibit gallery," he said.
In late June, a group of activists urged the Sitka authorities to remove the Baranov statue, citing mistreatment of indigenous people.
Statues of several historical figures associated with racism have been removed, toppled or defaced across the United States amid nationwide protests fueled by multiple police-involved killings of African Americans.
