The Emancipation Memorial, also known as the Freedman's Memorial or the Emancipation Group, is a controversial statue located in Washington, D.C. The statue was unveiled in 1876 and is a monument to President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, which declared the freedom of all enslaved people in Confederate-held territories.

The statue features a standing Abraham Lincoln with one hand raised in a gesture of liberation and an enslaved man kneeling at his feet, looking up at him. The figure of the enslaved man is said to have been modeled after Archer Alexander, a formerly enslaved man who helped Union troops during the Civil War.

While the statue was meant to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved people, it has faced criticism for its depiction of the enslaved man in a subservient position and for its portrayal of Lincoln as the white savior. Some argue that the statue reinforces racist stereotypes and perpetuates a narrative that downplays the agency and struggle of Black Americans in the fight for freedom.

In recent years, there have been calls to remove or relocate the Emancipation Memorial, with some advocating for a more inclusive and empowering representation of Black Americans' struggle for freedom and equality. The controversy surrounding the statue reflects broader debates about the representation of Black history and the legacy of slavery in public spaces.