Veterans in a New Jersey town want to give a statue of Kate Smith a new home after it was booted by the Philadelphia Flyers, insisting that “Miss Patriotism” deserves to be honored.
The American Legion post in Wildwood is joining the town’s mayor, Ernie Troiano, in calling for the statue to be relocated after it was removed Sunday by the Flyers amid allegations of racism in several of her songs, including a 1939 tune called “That’s Why the Darkies Were Born,” which has been claimed to be satirical.
“The removal of the statue is an attack on veterans who fought for this country,” a petition posted by American Legion Post 184 reads.