A billboard in Montgomery, Alabama, has ignited a storm of backlash after displaying the words “It’s Time to Get the Clowns Out!” alongside images of people in racist blackface, all framed in the branding of Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan.
The display, funded through the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts and created by the artist-led group For Freedoms, was intended to spark dialogue ahead of an exhibit marking the 60th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. Instead, it set off anger and pain in a city where civil rights history is not a distant memory but a lived experience. Critics say the pairing of MAGA messaging with blackface is more than provocative — it is racist and dangerous. “Timing and context mean everything,” wrote one Montgomery resident in response. Others argued that no amount of artistic intent could justify splashing racist caricatures on a public billboard in a majority-Black city.
Montgomery Mayor Steven L. Reed ordered the billboard removed almost immediately after it went up, calling it a politicized distortion of a sacred history. “We must be extremely mindful of how we use such images of our shared history, especially when they risk being perceived as politically charged,” Reed stated. “Our history deserves to be treated with the utmost respect and care, ensuring it unifies rather than divides us as a community.” The decision to take down the billboard exposed a deeper conflict between the city and the museum’s leadership. According to members of the museum’s board, the billboard had been erected without their approval, adding to what they describe as a two-year struggle with City Hall over control of the museum’s operations.
The controversy has drawn sharp responses from civil rights and arts advocates. The Southern Poverty Law Center praised the mayor’s decision, saying, “We can never afford to empower or embolden bad actors to cause harm and trample the rights and freedoms of marginalized groups.” But the National Coalition Against Censorship condemned the move as government overreach, writing in a letter to Reed, “Though you may not agree with the politics or the vision of the artists behind the billboard, your position…does not give you the right to enforce your personal political perspective on the museum’s programming.” For many in Montgomery, the billboard has reopened wounds tied to the ongoing use of MAGA rhetoric. The slogan, tied to Donald Trump’s presidency, has long raised questions: Which America is being called “great,” and when exactly was it great? “This is a country built on slavery, and the legacy of slavery,” one resident stated. “What has been great are the people who fought for freedom. That is what makes America great.” The billboard may be gone, but the questions it raised — about race, history, and who gets to decide how America’s past is remembered — remain on full display.
