New historical markers are popping up in place of Confederate monuments across Richmond. However, it is a false choice to say that Virginia cannot provide for both the immediate needs of her people and make steps toward fulfilling a commitment to equity and justice.”, Here’s what might replace America’s disappearing Confederate monuments, Photograph by Kris Graves, National Geographic, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/2020/12/monument-avenue-robert-e-lee-statue-renovation.html. “The Lee monument was specifically created as a symbol of white supremacy. Bastrop County's Monument Relocation Committee provided recommendations Monday for a new home for Confederate monuments located at the courthouse. Subscribe For Only $2.77 Per Week. (How does the world reckon with a racist history? During the Civil War, some men in Maryland’s Talbot County fought on the side of slavery. Davis’ monument, which incorporates a neo-classical design of thirteen Doric columns representing the eleven states that seceded from the United States and two that sent delegates to the Confederate Congress, dominates its roundabout on Monument Avenue. It was a highly controversial vote, which many hoped would represent the start to a re-casting of the story of Richmond and the Confederacy in a more honest and complete light. Latest e-Edition Rocky Mount Telegram. Once the new monument is placed, Montana will become the first city to remove and replace a Confederate marker. Efforts to honor Georgia's Civil War veterans began almost as soon as the war ended, but the great majority of Confederate monuments were dedicated in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a period … But those who honor the Confederacy have been quietly working to preserve, and even increase, the number of Confederate monuments. After the unveiling of a small monument to unknown Alabama Confederate soldiers in Brantley, Alabama, only weeks after the Charlottesville protests, David Coggins, the site's owner and developer, defended the move. New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu is opening up about his decision to remove four Confederate monuments from prominent places in his city. Stuart. The irony isn’t lost on Viola Baskerville, who served on Richmond City Council in 1995, when city leaders voted to place a statue of Ashe on the avenue. Last May, just days after George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer, Klein—who had been recently laid off as a lighting projectionist for a Richmond area music group—hit upon the idea of displaying digital pictures and messages on the sides of boarded-up buildings. The new year brings new challenges for Confederate monuments. He’s requesting $10 million in next year’s state budget—with hopes to leverage millions more in private donations—to reimagine public art and creative storytelling on the famous avenue. ), “It’s a step in the right direction—long overdue,” Baskerville said. "We're color-blind as far as that goes," said Coggins. See why nearly a quarter of a million subscribers begin their day with the Starting 5. His new book, Cut in Stone: Confederate Monuments and Theological Disruption releases on July 1, 2020 from Baylor University Press. In 1976, the monument site was annexed by the city. Now a small town struggles with the statue that honors them, and with the meaning of history. Though earlier monuments were typically installed in cemeteries, this new era of Confederate monuments placed them in main public spaces and often in front of city buildings. “I realize that there are pressing governmental and human needs right now. Twitter Share. NEW ORLEANS (AP) — They were among the city's oldest landmarks, as cemented to the landscape of New Orleans as the Superdome and St. Louis Cathedral: a stone obelisk heralding white supremacy and three statues of Confederate stalwarts. The monument is a memorial on behalf of "Unknown Alabama Confederate Soldiers." (Here's the origin story of Monument Avenue.). The map shows the location of Confederate statues Credit: SPLC. The other statue features an unidentified Black man in modern urban attire astride a muscular horse. New Orleans: Confederate Monument (1874), Greenwood Cemetery; Army of Tennessee Tomb (1886) at Metairie Cemetery, consisting of a Gothic chapel tomb containing 48 vaults, surmounted by an equestrian statue of Albert Sidney Johnston. Last summer four Confederate statues were removed and placed in storage by order of Richmond Mayor Laver Stoney, who was reelected to a second term in November. He also said his staff will soon begin to reach out to art experts, historians, urban planners, and residents to inform their approach on the renovation to the avenue. The public display in the United States of Confederate monuments, memorials and symbols has been and continues to be controversial. The effort was led by former Virginia Governor Fitzhugh Lee, the Confederate general’s nephew. The Forrest Monument coincides with this time frame, having been built in 1905. Removal of Confederate monuments and memorials is an ongoing process in the United States since the 1960s. After protesters pulled down the "Silent Sam" Confederate statue on UNC-Chapel Hill's campus back in August, only the base of the monument, seen here, remained. Two equestrian statues were thrust back into news headlines this past weekend following Virginia Governor Ralph Northam’s announcement that he plans to repurpose a stretch of valuable public space in Richmond, the state’s capital. Tennessee: The city of Franklin, Tennessee, has an ongoing lawsuit against the UDC to determine who owns the land in one local public park containing a Confederate monument erected by the UDC in the late 19th century.