Robert Moses has left behind a long legacy of prejudice and gentrification, specifically targeting the Black and Hispanic communities. Through his role in building infrastructure throughout Long Island, he supported tactics leading to housing segregation so Long Island neighborhoods were predominantly inhabited by White Christian folks. Yet, many still praise him for his work, calling him a “true visionary.”

Specifically, the Babylon Village Public Arts Commission funded a project to erect a Robert Moses statue in 2002, which now stands in front of the Babylon Village Town Hall. A plaque included with statue contains exaggerated language glorifying Moses, saying that he had an “eye to the future” and “preserved the integrity of the Long Island shoreline while creating a legacy for future generations.” The true “future” that Moses envisioned was divided and prejudiced. The plaque only mentions his injustices once, saying that he was a “dominant and sometimes controversial force.” This statue clearly fails to adequately acknowledge his disregard for human lives for the sake of superficial innovation.

Moses also built the Lincoln Center area of New York City after he misplaced communities of color. He gave Fordham University the land to build a second campus, and the university named the outdoor plaza after him and erected a statue commemorating him in 2016. This was met with immediate outage on behalf of the students, and the university swiftly removed the statue.

We are asking that Babylon Village does the same, as the statue represents a long history of systemic racism and anti-semitism.