UPDATE: Memorial Plaque Removed
Thanks to the efforts of a broad-based community task force, coordinated by the Volunteer Park Trust, Seattle Parks & Recreation has removed the inaccurate and offensive plaque commemorating the volunteer soldiers of the Wars of 1898 (also known as the Spanish-American War) for whom the park is named.
A community event will be held on Saturday, May 7 from 3:00 pm – 4:30pm with a discussion about the memorial plaque removal in response to community concerns about its accuracy at The Seattle Asian Art Museum. Tickets can be reserved at Eventbrite.
The effort to remove the plaque began with community member Shamika Rivera’s request to Parks and it was bolstered by an op-ed, “The big lie in Volunteer Park,” published in the Northwest Asian Weekly by University of Washington history professor Dr. Christoph Giebel.
The Trust reached out to community members who were interested in seeing the plaque addressed, and representatives of a number of organizations, university professors, and community members came together to form the task force. Two weeks ago, the task force sent a joint letter requesting the plaque’s removal to Seattle Parks & Recreation. It was signed by representatives from:
· El Centro De La Raza
· The Ethnic Heritage Council
· Filipino American National Historical Society
· Filipino American Political Group of Washington
· InterIm CDA
· Capitol Hill Historical Society
· Volunteer Park Trust
· Volunteer Park Conservatory.
The letter was also signed individually by several notable community activists such as Cindy Domingo, Phil Bereano, Vicente Rafael, and Christoph Giebel.
Happily, Seattle Parks & Recreation removed the plaque shortly after receiving the letter. Superintendent Jesús Aguirre commented, “Seattle Parks and Recreation seeks to steward our historic parks in a way that fits with our community values. We are grateful to the community and Volunteer Park Trust for bringing a conversation about this historic memorial to the forefront, and for your advocacy to ensure that what is celebrated and remembered in our parks affirms our commitments to advancing racial equity and inclusivity in our public spaces.”
The task force will continue to meet to plan a panel discussion to be held, likely online, in October to explore the history of the Wars of 1898, how they affected the countries involved, and how they shaped Seattle’s history. If Parks decides to replace the plaque with something more accurate and reflective of the broadly felt impact of the wars, the task force will ask to be involved in the planning.
Original Post:
The memorial plaque in the park recognizes the volunteer American soldiers who fought in the Spanish-American War. The text of the memorial is incorrect, claiming the people of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines were “liberated,” by the Americans, when, in fact, the war was imperialistic and led to American rule, rather than independence.
Volunteer Park Trust is consulting with members of the community, scholars, and community organizations to explore the issues involved and plans to approach Seattle Parks and Recreation to urge them to initiate a public process about removal of the memorial or alterations that could be made to it.
If you would like to be involved in this effort, please email info@volunteerparktrust.org.
Read the commentary “The big lie in Volunteer Park” by Christoph Giebel published in the Northwest Asian Weekly on May 13, 2021.
Read the article “Amid pandemic’s hate, Seattle Parks considers options for offensive monument in Volunteer Park” published by CHS Blog on May 21, 2021.
