Though he is remembered for nonviolent resistance against British colonialism, Gandhi also held publicly critical opinions of Black Africans during his stint living in South Africa in the late 19th century. There are well-documented anti-black racist sentiments and plenty of readings that also point to him being a sexual predator. 

After seeing the pushes to take down statues of Gandhi in London’s Parliament Square and in Washington D.C, we were compelled to ask that the statue in our community be taken down as well. As a student at New York University, our school claims to play a serious role as an "engine of social mobility” and a strong representative of a low-income students, many of which are part of the BIPOC community. To have a monument in the middle of our community that does not align with those beliefs and actually, directly opposes them is disturbing. 

We do understand the need to uplift representatives of the South Asian community because they are so few and far between. However, in this moment, many of us feel like the evangelizing of any leader, in teaching and memorializing, promotes a dangerous narrative that suggests the people we grew up learning about can do no harm, when this is proven, time and time again, to be untrue. 

Please do conduct your own research on Gandhi and align it with your beliefs before signing this petition. With YOUR help we can all come together to reflect the change we want to see in the world.