Remove UK mural

Decision comes as Floyd protest

C1 3 the university of kentucky's president announced today, a 90-year-old mural...some have called racist...will be removed.

Abc 36's monica harkins joins us in studio.... for our top story at 5.

Monica, it's been covered for about a year now.

Yes, u-k's kentucky kernal reports "the black student advisory council" and "the basic needs campaign" held a sit-in last year...and president eli capilouto covered it in response to that sit-in.

Now, the cover is coming off and it's being removed completely.

He says after years of controversy...and with current protests calling for racial justice on the front of mind across america..he says now is the time to take the historic painting down.

It was originally painted in 1934 and shows slaves working in a field...something some have argued is historically accurate...but others have said the art is glorifying slavery.

As for what's next...capilouto says... "i don't believe we can have that conversation with the mural still, metaphorically, on the table.

And, so while in the context of many significant issues we must discuss and decide upon, the mural may appear... ...relatively small, it carries with it tremendous symbolic weight.

I want to remove that weight from the discussions we must have, so that we can act, together, as a community."

Capilouto admits there's been years of conversations about the mural...and says the work done to try and contextualize the art piece hasn't worked.

For more on the mural's long history at the university...click on this story on our website.

Wtvq dot com.

I'm monica harkins, abc 36 news.

### there are also renewed calls for the removal of another piece of artwork many feel is a painful reminder of kentucky's history with slavery.

L3: top story white governor beshear calls for jefferson davis statue to be removed governor andy beshear says it's time to remove the jefferson davis statue from the capitol rotunda.

The statue of davis stands in the rotunda with a statue of abraham lincoln.

Beshear says he doesn't think the confederate president belongs in the same space as the u.s. president who helped end slavery.

He says the statue is a symbol that divides the state..

And a symbol for pain for many kentuckians.

L3: top story white governor andy beshear (d) - kentucky "we're talking about compassion in terms of covid-19, we ought to have compassion for all pain.

Can't we understand that in the very least, it's so hurtful to them and doesn't that at least justify it not sitting where it does right now.

I don't think it should be in the capitol rotunda."

L3: top story white governor beshear calls for jefferson davis statue to be removed the decision to remove the statue would be decided by the historic properties advisory commission.

In 20-15, the commission voted to keep the statue... but have education material available for historic perspective.

Mark stoops and the