US Rep. Dusty Johnson again introduces legislation to protect Mount Rushmore
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
U.S. House Representative Dusty Johnson (R-SD) introduced legislation Friday to prohibit the use of federal funds to change or destroy the Mount Rushmore National Memorial.
This is the second time Johnson has introduced the legislation, the first time was back in 2020 when statues of Confederate leaders, as well as pre-Civil War figures, were being removed during racial injustice protests.
This time around, Johnson introduced the legislation following a commentary by Jalen Rose, an ESPN commentator, who posted a video to Twitter about why Mount Rushmore "to define greatness should be retired."
"Let's stop using the term Mount Rushmore when we talking about our favorite rappers, talking about our favorite movies, talking about our favorite players," Rose said, explaining how the land used for the national monument was stolen by white settlers who discovered gold in the Black Hills.
Johnson disagreed that canceling Mount Rushmore "will not move our nation forward."
Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills have been the backdrop to multiple Landback Indigenous-led campaigns, the idea that land stolen from Native Americans through broken treaties be granted back to the original stewards of the land.
More: 3 things we learned about the Landback movement from NDN Collective's time on CNN
Indigenous activists occupied Mount Rushmore in the summer of 1970 and more recently, protested at Keystone in 2020 during former President Trump's Fourth of July speech.
Follow Annie Todd on Twitter @AnnieTodd96. Reach out to her with tips, questions and other community news at atodd@argusleader.com or give her a call at 605-215-3757.
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Rep. Dusty Johnson introduces Mount Rushmore Protection Act
