A group of activists held a protest next to a statue of George Washington this Presidents Day to call attention to the country’s Founding Fathers who owned slaves.

One of the activists climbed up on the statue in Newark’s Washington Park with a sign that said “George Washington: Slave Master.”

Members of the People’s Organization for Progress say that Congress should approve reparations to African-Americans whose ancestors were enslaved.

“Not only was [Washington] a slaveholder in Virginia, but he was president of the United States. He held slaves during that time,” says chairman Lawrence Hamm. “He oversaw the establishment of this country as one that protected and perpetuated the institution of slavery."

The group called on New Jersey lawmakers to also take up the issue of reparations for African-Americans.