What is wrong with this picture? Ribbon-cutting ceremony will get a do-over

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5 Jul, 2018 08:26 PM2 mins to read

Susan Saarinen cuts the ribbon dedicating the renovation to the newly renamed Gateway Arch National Park. Since being taken, this image has caused controversy. Photo / AP

A black state lawmaker will hold a do-over on Friday (US time) after a social media backlash over ribbon-cutting photos from the revitalised Gateway Arch National Park in St Louis included only white people.

Democratic state Rep. Bruce Franks Jr said on Thursday on Facebook Live that the image wasn't reflective of the city he represents.

He proposed a new photo with black leaders, and scheduled a new ribbon cutting for noon Friday.

Rep. Bruce Franks Jr., D-St. Louis (third from right) has called for the do-over. Photo / Getty Images

"We want to show what St Louis really looks like tomorrow," he said.

Just over 200 people had RSVP'd for Franks' event on Facebook as of Thursday afternoon.

The photos from the dedication featured more than a dozen people, including Republican Governor Mike Parson and US Senators Claire McCaskill, a Democrat, and Roy Blunt, a Republican.

The Gateway Arch Park Foundation apologised in a statement on Wednesday.

"As organisers of the event, we acknowledge that our ribbon cutting did not reflect the diversity of our community."

A foundation spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a question of whether any black leaders had been invited.

The city is almost 48 per cent black, according to data from the US Census, larger than any other racial group.

The park was dedicated on Tuesday, the culmination of a five-year, US$380 million ($560m) renovation that Missouri political leaders see as a template for the future of the national park system.

It was the first major renovation since the Arch opened in 1965, and about two-thirds of the funding came from private donations.