Earlier this month an Irish-Catholic fraternal group objected to the nomination of Thomas Nast to the New Jersey Hall of Fame due to Nast’s anti-Catholic cartoons of the era. The opposition has gained a bit of traction with the addition of two State Assemblymen Wayne DeAngelo (D) and David Rible (R).
From NewJersey.com:
“One cannot view a selection Mr. Nast’s of his political cartoons such as the depiction of Uncle Sam, the Democrat Donkey, and the Republicans elephant without also noting his works that are racially charged and offensive,” Assemblyman Wayne DeAngelo (D-Mercer) wrote to New Jersey Hall of Fame Executive Director Don Jay Smith. “For instance, three notable works – The American River Ganges, The Usual Irish Way of Doing Things, and St. Patrick’s Day 1867 – all depict Irish Catholics in a demeaning light. These works are inflammatory and offensive to the thousands of Irish Catholics that call New Jersey home.”
Will be interesting to see where this goes.
Glad to see Mike Lynch get quoted in the article too.
Via Tom Spurgeon