Vermont Law Sued Over Underground Railroad Mural Removal (1)

Artist Samuel Kerson sued Vermont Law School in federal court Wednesday over its plans to permanently cover his murals depicting the Underground Railroad, which followed student complaints that the works were offensive.

Kerson’s “Vermont, the Underground Railroad” and “Vermont and the Fugitive Slave” were completed in 1994 and show the history of slavery and the state’s efforts to help slaves seek freedom.

According to the complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont, the school told him it would paint over the murals “because of some complaints by students, who apparently found the murals ‘offensive.’”

Students ...