The pastors wrote the Smithsonian a letter explaining that Sanger was far from a champion for their race because of her strong ties to the eugenics movement.

However, their request to have the bust removed has been denied.

In a response, Smithsonian director, Kim Sajet, said, “I received your letter regarding the legacy of Margaret Sanger and respectfully decline to remove her portrait from the museum. The Struggle for Justice gallery brings attention to major cultural and political figures from the 19th century to the present day who fought to achieve civil rights for disenfranchised or marginalized groups.”

Later she adds, “Her association with the eugenics movement shadowed her achievements in sex education and contraception, making her a figure of controversy, one whose complexities and contradictions mirror her times. There is no ‘moral test’ for people to be accepted into the National Portrait Gallery.”

Now, the black pastors, along with other pro-life advocates and Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz, rallied outside the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery to demand the removal of the statue.

They say Sanger supported eugenics to rid the nation of those she deemed “defective” and “feeble-minded,” by stopping the growth of their populations, particularly blacks and other minorities.