Monuments and statues are falling. But what comes next?
4 years, 8 months ago

Monuments and statues are falling. But what comes next?

Associated Press  

TIERRA AMARILLA, N.M. — The dusty town of Tierra Amarilla perches in the shadows of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Some advocates say monuments to the late U.S. Rep. Barbara Jordan or Mexican American civil rights leader Dolores Huerta should replace the fallen statues. “Leave it like that.” Brett Chapman, a Tulsa, Oklahoma, attorney and descendant of Standing Bear, a Ponca chief and civil rights leader, said he’d like to see the fallen statues replaced by largely unknown social justice advocates. Cultural critic Thomas Chatterton Williams, the author of “Self-Portrait in Black and White,” said he understood the need to remove Confederate monuments but is uncomfortable with the vandalism of statues honoring the Founding Fathers and American Union Civil War figures. But erasing these men from the public sphere seems like a bad road to go down to me.” Vanessa Fonseca-Chávez, an assistant English professor at Arizona State University and author of the upcoming book “Colonial Legacies in Chicana/o Literature and Culture: Looking Through the Kaleidoscope,” said she can see the spaces honoring people who are not famous.

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History of this topic

Robert E. Lee statue that prompted deadly protest in Virginia melted down
1 year, 4 months ago

Robert E. Lee statue that prompted deadly protest in Virginia melted down

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The Jefferson School African American Heritage Center, a Charlottesville-based …

Statue of Robert E. Lee in Charlottesville, Virginia, melted down to create new art
1 year, 4 months ago

Statue of Robert E. Lee in Charlottesville, Virginia, melted down to create new art

CNN  

CNN — The statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that was once at the center of the deadly 2017 White nationalist “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, has been melted down. Schmidt co-leads “Swords into Plowshares,” a project dedicated to transforming the controversial Lee statue into public art. While other Confederate statues across the South have been removed …

Mystery lingers around time capsule found beneath Lee statue
3 years, 3 months ago

Mystery lingers around time capsule found beneath Lee statue

Associated Press  

RICHMOND, Va. — A rust-colored 1875 almanac, a cloth envelope and a silver coin were found Wednesday in a time capsule that lay hidden beneath a towering statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee in Virginia for more than 130 years. Devon Henry, the contractor who took down the Lee statue and is continuing to work on the removal of …

Op-Ed: As Confederate statues fall, build monuments to Black heroes at risk of being forgotten
3 years, 4 months ago

Op-Ed: As Confederate statues fall, build monuments to Black heroes at risk of being forgotten

LA Times  

A few sites, like the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Ala., highlight some history of enslaved Africans and their descendants in the U.S. On the night of Jan. 8, 1811, a mixed-race man named Charles Deslondes led a group of people in an attack on a plantation owner in lower Louisiana that became the largest uprising of …

Black Heritage Center Submits Proposal To Melt Charlottesville’s Robert E. Lee Statue
3 years, 5 months ago

Black Heritage Center Submits Proposal To Melt Charlottesville’s Robert E. Lee Statue

Huff Post  

A statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E Lee located in Charlottesville, Virginia, is transported away after being removed from Market Street Park in July. The Washington Post via Getty Images A Black heritage center in Charlottesville, Virginia, wants to melt down the city’s recently removed statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee so that it can be repurposed into public …

Statue of General Robert E Lee comes down in former Confederate capital of Virginia
3 years, 6 months ago

Statue of General Robert E Lee comes down in former Confederate capital of Virginia

Firstpost  

The removal marked a major victory for civil rights activists, whose previous calls to dismantle the statues had been steadfastly rebuked by city and state officials alike Richmond: A statue of General Robert E Lee that towered over Richmond for generations was taken down, cut into pieces and hauled away Wednesday, as the former capital of the Confederacy erased the …

Gen. Lee statue comes down in former Confederate capital
3 years, 6 months ago

Gen. Lee statue comes down in former Confederate capital

Associated Press  

RICHMOND, Va. — A statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee that towered over Richmond for generations was taken down, cut into pieces and hauled away Wednesday, as the former capital of the Confederacy erased the last of the Civil War figures that once defined its most prominent thoroughfare. “It’s very difficult to imagine, certainly, even two years ago that the …

1 Of America's Largest Remaining Monuments To Confederacy To Be Removed In Virginia
3 years, 6 months ago

1 Of America's Largest Remaining Monuments To Confederacy To Be Removed In Virginia

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING RICHMOND, Va. — Crews are set to remove one of the country’s largest remaining monuments to the Confederacy, a towering statue of Robert E. Lee in Richmond, Virginia. Crews are set to remove one of the country’s largest remaining monuments to the Confederacy, a towering statue of Robert E. Lee in Richmond, Virginia. In Richmond, a city …

Lee statue in Richmond set to be removed, sent to storage
3 years, 6 months ago

Lee statue in Richmond set to be removed, sent to storage

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Crews are set to remove …

Virginia removes massive Confederate monument
3 years, 6 months ago

Virginia removes massive Confederate monument

Al Jazeera  

Activists have long said the hulking statue of Civil War General Robert E Lee in Richmond glorifies the US South’s slave-owning past. In a move that caps decades of activism, crews have removed one of the United States’ largest remaining Confederate statues – a towering statue of Robert E Lee in Richmond, Virginia. Our streets!” and singing “Hey hey hey, …

What follows Confederate statues? 1 Mississippi city's fight
3 years, 7 months ago

What follows Confederate statues? 1 Mississippi city's fight

The Independent  

Get Nadine White's Race Report newsletter for a fresh perspective on the week's news Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The county initially considered leaving the Confederate statue and building a civil …

Charlottesville statue that sparked deadly white supremacy rally removed
3 years, 8 months ago

Charlottesville statue that sparked deadly white supremacy rally removed

ABC  

A Confederate monument that helped spark a violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, has been hoisted off its stone pedestal. Key points: The removal of the statues was held up by a lawsuit and a law that was amended in 2020 There have been 10 expressions of interest from organisations wanting to acquire the statues Charlottesville Mayor Nikuyah Walker …

High court: Charlottesville can remove Confederate statues
3 years, 11 months ago

High court: Charlottesville can remove Confederate statues

Associated Press  

FALLS CHURCH, Va. — Virginia’s highest court ruled Thursday that the city of Charlottesville can take down two statues of Confederate generals, including one of Robert E. Lee that became the focus of a violent white nationalist rally in 2017. The state Supreme Court overturned a Circuit Court decision in favor of a group of residents who sued to block …

Detailed plans in place for careful removal of Lee statue
4 years, 7 months ago

Detailed plans in place for careful removal of Lee statue

Associated Press  

RICHMOND, Va. — When the bronze equestrian statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee arrived by rail in Richmond from Paris in 1890, it took 10,000 men, women and children to haul its pieces more than a mile to the site where the towering monument was erected as a tribute to a Confederate hero. Howard Conservation, a Pennsylvania company that specializes …

Richmond removes Confederate Soldiers and Sailors statue
4 years, 8 months ago

Richmond removes Confederate Soldiers and Sailors statue

Associated Press  

RICHMOND, Va. — Work crews have taken down the Confederate Soldiers and Sailors statue, the sixth Confederate monument to be removed in Richmond amid national protests against police brutality and symbols many see as racist icons. Richmond’s largest statue left standing is on state land — the massive monument to Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. These Confederate statues were erected …

Richmond removes statue of Confederate Gen. J.E.B. Stuart
4 years, 8 months ago

Richmond removes statue of Confederate Gen. J.E.B. Stuart

Associated Press  

RICHMOND, Va. — Work crews on Tuesday took down a monument to Confederate Gen. J.E.B. Stuart, the third major statue to be cleared away in less than a week as the Confederacy’s former capital rushes to remove symbols of oppression in response to protests against police brutality and racism. One person sang, “Na na na na, na na na na, …

Robert E. Lee statue becomes epicenter of protest movement
4 years, 8 months ago

Robert E. Lee statue becomes epicenter of protest movement

Associated Press  

RICHMOND, Va. — Just a little over a month ago, the area around Richmond’s iconic statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee was as quiet and sedate as the statue itself. The statue is located on Richmond’s Monument Avenue, a boulevard of stately homes that also features several other Confederate monuments targeted for removal. “You can’t be human and not …

While Confederate statues come down, other symbols targeted
4 years, 9 months ago

While Confederate statues come down, other symbols targeted

Associated Press  

RALEIGH, N.C. — Spectators in North Carolina’s capital cheered Sunday morning as work crews finished the job started by protesters Friday night and removed a Confederate statue from the top of a 75-foot monument. The bronze statue that has stood at the museum’s Central Park West entrance since 1940 depicts Roosevelt on horseback with a Native American man and an …

Four ways to help settle Australia’s colonial statue debate
4 years, 9 months ago

Four ways to help settle Australia’s colonial statue debate

ABC  

They’ve towered over parks and plazas around the country for decades, commissioned in a bygone era to immortalise European settlers and celebrate colonial legacies. In Virginia earlier this month, Governor Ralph Northam announced plans to take down a statue of Lee, but a judge has since granted an injunction while the "public interest" merits are assessed. Replace the statues In …

If Dolly Parton replaces Confederate monuments, it wouldn’t be her first statue
4 years, 9 months ago

If Dolly Parton replaces Confederate monuments, it wouldn’t be her first statue

LA Times  

Dolly Parton’s fans are rallying on social media to get a statue of the beloved country queen to replace old monuments of Confederate and Ku Klux Klan leaders in her native Tennessee. https://t.co/FxcPYyP6oC — Natalie Allison June 15, 2020 The call to replace Confederate monuments in Tennessee with Parton picked up momentum in December, when Republican state Rep. Jeremy Faison …

Floyd’s cousin implores marchers to be a force for change
4 years, 9 months ago

Floyd’s cousin implores marchers to be a force for change

Associated Press  

RICHMOND, Va. — Thousands of people gathered in Richmond on Saturday for Virginia’s “5000 Man March,” a demonstration against racism that included a speech by the cousin of George Floyd, the black man whose death at the hands of police has prompted weeks of protests around the world. They returned to the monument about two hours later to hear speakers, …

In Richmond, Va., Protesters Transform A Confederate Statue
4 years, 9 months ago

In Richmond, Va., Protesters Transform A Confederate Statue

NPR  

In Richmond, Va., Protesters Transform A Confederate Statue Enlarge this image toggle caption Julia Rendleman/Reuters Julia Rendleman/Reuters Confederate monuments in the former capital of the Confederacy are being transformed into a new kind of icon as activists alter and pose for photos at the statues, one of which is at the center of a legal fight over its planned removal. …

Analysis: Toppling racist statues makes space for radical change
4 years, 9 months ago

Analysis: Toppling racist statues makes space for radical change

Al Jazeera  

Across the world, monuments to racism and colonialism are being brought down. Rather than merely repeating the tactics of gilded age trophyism, the new architects of monuments, led by visionary artists and activists, balance presence and absence, consider social justice and harm reduction, and take into account the necessity of repair. In my work as a co-founder of Monument Lab, …

As America grapples with its history of racism, relics of the past are being toppled by a new generation
4 years, 9 months ago

As America grapples with its history of racism, relics of the past are being toppled by a new generation

ABC  

They are time capsules. When statues were first erected honouring Confederate generals or notable slave-owning citizens, the white population in the southern states would, by and large, have nodded with approval. In the recent protests, some used ropes to pull down a statue of Confederate General Williams Carter Wickham that had stood in Richmond's Monroe Park since 1891. But this …

Christopher Columbus Statue Beheaded In Boston Park
4 years, 9 months ago

Christopher Columbus Statue Beheaded In Boston Park

Huff Post  

Last month, protesters in Birmingham, Alabama, tore down a statue of Charles Linn, one of the city’s founders and a supporter of the Confederacy. Also last month, statues of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, Jefferson Davis and Gen. J.E.B. Confederate Defenders statues in Charleston, South Carolina, were spray-painted with “BLM” and “traitors.” The movement to remove statues of …

‘A long time coming': Iconic Lee statue to be removed
4 years, 9 months ago

‘A long time coming': Iconic Lee statue to be removed

Associated Press  

RICHMOND, Va. — David Harris Jr., a nephew of humanitarian and tennis legend Arthur Ashe, tried for decades to get a street named after his uncle in Richmond, the hometown that once denied Ashe access to segregated public tennis courts. So it was gratifying, Harris said, to see Virginia’s governor announce plans to remove an iconic statue of Confederate Gen. …

Black activists, allies call Lee statue removal a big win
4 years, 9 months ago

Black activists, allies call Lee statue removal a big win

Associated Press  

RICHMOND, Va. — Wes Bellamy, a former Charlottesville city councilman, said that when he first started raising the issue of removing Confederate monuments, black and white people alike across Virginia told him he was just causing trouble. She said when the statue is finally gone it will feel “like an incredible burden has been lifted off my shoulders and finally …

States Remove Monuments To Racists Following Nationwide Protests
4 years, 9 months ago

States Remove Monuments To Racists Following Nationwide Protests

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING As protests prompted by the killing of George Floyd, a Black man, at the hands of a white Minneapolis police officer, continued this week, some state and local leaders are removing monuments honoring the Confederacy. Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin told protesters on Sunday that he understood their anger and frustration, and asked them to “allow me to …

Virginia governor to announce removal of Lee statue
4 years, 9 months ago

Virginia governor to announce removal of Lee statue

Associated Press  

RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia Gov. The Lee statue is one of five Confederate monuments along Monument Avenue, a prestigious residential street and National Historic Landmark district. Monuments along the avenue have been rallying points during protests in recent days over Floyd’s death, and they have been tagged with graffiti, including messages that say “end police brutality” and “stop white supremacy.” …

Virginia governor announces removal of Robert E. Lee statue from Richmond as city reckons with Confederate monuments
4 years, 9 months ago

Virginia governor announces removal of Robert E. Lee statue from Richmond as city reckons with Confederate monuments

CNN  

Washington CNN — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced on Thursday plans to remove a statue honoring Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from Richmond’s historic Monument Avenue, a move that comes amid a national reckoning with America’s complicated racial history. “It’s time to replace the racist symbols of oppression and inequality,” Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney said during Thursday’s announcement, declaring, “Richmond …

Confederate monuments coming down around South amid protests
4 years, 9 months ago

Confederate monuments coming down around South amid protests

Associated Press  

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Sarah Collins Rudolph thought she’d never see what happened in her hometown: Prompted by protests, the city removed a 115-year-old Confederate monument near where her sister and three other black girls died in a racist church bombing in 1963. A wave of Confederate memorial removals that began after a white supremacist killed nine black people at a …

Protesters Attack Confederate Monuments, Topple Statue
4 years, 9 months ago

Protesters Attack Confederate Monuments, Topple Statue

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING Several Confederate monuments across the South have been attacked by demonstrators amid protests against police killings of Black people, sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Remains of confederate monument in Birmingham pic.twitter.com/OWe6fRSJnV — Daniel Uhlfelder June 1, 2020 Though most of the tributes to the Confederacy were blasted with graffiti, a fire was set …

Why Virginians deserve to have local control over Confederate monuments
5 years, 2 months ago

Why Virginians deserve to have local control over Confederate monuments

Salon  

Confederate monuments are back in the news in Virginia. Legislation that would let cities and counties control decisions over local Confederate monuments will be introduced this month in both the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate. More than two years later, General Lee and two other Confederate statues still stand in downtown Charlottesville, kept there by a local judge's ruling …

Virginia Dems pledge to let locals move Confederate statues
5 years, 2 months ago

Virginia Dems pledge to let locals move Confederate statues

Associated Press  

RICHMOND, Va. — Newly empowered Democratic leaders in Virginia pledged Thursday to let local governments remove Confederate monuments, but Gov. At a news conference with legislative leaders and state officials, the governor also said he supports removing a statue of Lee that Virginia contributed to the U.S. Capitol grounds, and amending an existing state law that prohibits local governments from …

The Confederate debate in my blood: My cousin Robert E Lee
6 years, 4 months ago

The Confederate debate in my blood: My cousin Robert E Lee

Al Jazeera  

A personal story of owning and learning from a legacy associated with modern interpretations of racism in the US. My cousin, General Robert E Lee led the southern Confederate States Army in a campaign against the northern Union during the American Civil War in the 1860s. Duke University’s Professor Sandy Darity told me that in the aftermath of the Civil …

North Carolina will keep 3 Confederate monuments at Capitol
6 years, 7 months ago

North Carolina will keep 3 Confederate monuments at Capitol

Associated Press  

RALEIGH, N.C. — Three Confederate monuments will remain on the North Carolina Capitol grounds, but with newly added context about slavery and civil rights. He also said the toppling of the Confederate statue known as “Silent Sam” on Monday night at the University of North Carolina was an example of what happens when people feel their leaders won’t act on …

A look at Confederate monuments removed across the US
6 years, 7 months ago

A look at Confederate monuments removed across the US

Associated Press  

Protesters at North Carolina’s flagship university toppled a Confederate statue in the heart of campus that has long been a subject of controversy and that officials said couldn’t be removed because of state law. Earlier this year, a protester was arrested after throwing a mixture of red ink and her own blood on “Silent Sam.” North Carolina has been one …

Editorial: Why on earth do we have Confederate statues in the U.S. Capitol?
7 years, 6 months ago

Editorial: Why on earth do we have Confederate statues in the U.S. Capitol?

LA Times  

The American Civil War sputtered to its brutal finish more than 150 years ago, with the United States battered but still united. The latest front: Statues in the U.S. Capitol building provided by the states — two from each — that include some men who led or fought in the rebellion on behalf of Southern slavery. Their Confederate Monument Removal …

Gen. Robert E. Lee descendant leaves pulpit after backlash
7 years, 6 months ago

Gen. Robert E. Lee descendant leaves pulpit after backlash

CNN  

Story highlights NEW: Rev. Robert Lee IV says he doesn't want to be distraction from real issue of equality Pastor said on MTV his forebear was made "an idol of white supremacy, racism and hate" CNN — A descendant of Gen. Robert E. Lee has stepped down as pastor of his North Carolina church after facing blowback from parishioners and …

Civil Rights Activist Argues To Keep Confederate Monuments
7 years, 7 months ago

Civil Rights Activist Argues To Keep Confederate Monuments

NPR  

Civil Rights Activist Argues To Keep Confederate Monuments Enlarge this image toggle caption Leigh Vogel/Drum Major Institute for Public Policy Leigh Vogel/Drum Major Institute for Public Policy In cities across the U.S., calls to take down monuments to Confederate leaders are growing louder since the deadly events in Charlottesville, Va. One of the most dramatic monuments to the Confederacy is …

Confederate statues 'have become symbols of white supremacy', Texas university rules
7 years, 7 months ago

Confederate statues 'have become symbols of white supremacy', Texas university rules

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The University of Texas …

Confederate Statues Were Built To Further A 'White Supremacist Future'
7 years, 7 months ago

Confederate Statues Were Built To Further A 'White Supremacist Future'

NPR  

Confederate Statues Were Built To Further A 'White Supremacist Future' Enlarge this image toggle caption Baltimore Sun/TNS via Getty Images Baltimore Sun/TNS via Getty Images As President Trump doubled down on his defense of Confederate statues and monuments this week, he overlooked an important fact noted by historians: The majority of the memorials seem to have been built with the …

Charlottesville mayor calls for emergency meeting to remove Robert E Lee's statue; governor rejects request
7 years, 7 months ago

Charlottesville mayor calls for emergency meeting to remove Robert E Lee's statue; governor rejects request

Firstpost  

Richmond: The mayor of Charlottesville has called for an emergency meeting of state lawmakers to confirm the city’s right to remove a statue of Confederate General Robert E Lee, a request that was swiftly rejected by the state’s governor. Mayor Mike Signer said recent clashes over race and the Confederacy had turned “equestrian statues into lightning rods” and urged Democratic …

A black mayor who leads the former capital of the Confederacy sees both sides of the monument debate
7 years, 7 months ago

A black mayor who leads the former capital of the Confederacy sees both sides of the monument debate

LA Times  

Here are some of the Confederate monuments that were removed this year: As memorials toppled across the country, the African American mayor of the former capital of the Confederacy defended his city’s own. Two days later, the Richmond mayor said Confederate monuments had become a “rallying point for division and intolerance” and should be removed. “You see the anger over …

Communities across US unsure of what to do with Confederate monuments after removing them
7 years, 7 months ago

Communities across US unsure of what to do with Confederate monuments after removing them

Firstpost  

As communities across the US remove Confederate monuments from public spaces, city leaders now face another conundrum: what to do with the statues. As communities across the United States redouble efforts to remove Confederate monuments from public spaces after a far-right rally in Virginia turned deadly, city leaders now face another conundrum: what to do with the statues. Anna Lopez …

Trump defends Confederate monuments in new tweetstorm
7 years, 7 months ago

Trump defends Confederate monuments in new tweetstorm

Daily Mail  

President Trump doubled down on some of his most provocative comments from earlier this week by tweeting that he thought the country should keep up its Confederate statues. Scroll down for video On Thursday, President Trump doubled down on statements he made at his free-wheeling press conference from Trump Tower on Tuesday President Trump sent out three tweets Thursday morning …

Charlottesville: Baltimore's Confederate monuments removed overnight after violence
7 years, 7 months ago

Charlottesville: Baltimore's Confederate monuments removed overnight after violence

ABC  

Baltimore residents have woken to find the city's Confederate monuments gone, days after white supremacists led a deadly protest over the planned removal of a Confederate statue in Charlottesville, Virginia. Monuments to Robert E Lee, commander of the pro-slavery Confederate army in the American Civil War, and Confederate General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson were dismantled from the Maryland city's Wyman Park …

US cities rush to take down Confederate monuments after Charlottesville
7 years, 7 months ago

US cities rush to take down Confederate monuments after Charlottesville

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy In the fallout from …

Mourners Honor Charlottesville Victim; States Debate Confederate Statues
7 years, 7 months ago

Mourners Honor Charlottesville Victim; States Debate Confederate Statues

NPR  

Mourners Honor Charlottesville Victim; States Debate Confederate Statues Enlarge this image toggle caption Julia Rendleman/AP Julia Rendleman/AP The aftermath of the violent protest and counterprotests in Charlottesville, Va., over the weekend continue to reverberate across the country — sparking discussions about race and the country's Civil War past. Enlarge this image toggle caption Joshua Replogle/AP Joshua Replogle/AP Mourners gathered in …

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