University of Texas President Greg Fenves has ordered the removal of statues of Robert E. Lee and other prominent Confederate figures from a main area of campus
University of Texas President Greg Fenves has ordered the removal of statues of General Robert E. Lee and other prominent Confederate figures from a main area of campus.
Fenves announced the move late Sunday night, saying such monuments have become ‘symbols of modern white supremacy and neo-Nazism.’
The university moved a statue of former Confederate President Jefferson Davis from its perch near the campus clock tower to a history museum in 2015.
Fenves now says statues of Lee, Confederate Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston and Confederate Postmaster General John H. Reagan also must be moved.
The debate over public memorials for Confederate figures roared into national conversation last week after one person was killed in a clash between white supremacists and counter-protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Six Flags Entertainment on Saturday said it has removed a Confederate flag from a Texas based theme park, reversing an earlier decision amid growing calls across the nation to take down symbols representative of southern slavery.
Fenves announced the move late Sunday night, saying such monuments have become ‘symbols of modern white supremacy and neo-Nazism’
The university moved a statue of former Confederate President Jefferson Davis from its perch near the campus clock tower to a history museum in 2015
‘At Six Flags Over Texas we strive every single day to make people happy and to create a fun, thrilling and safe family friendly experience for our guests,’ a park spokeswoman told The Washington Post via email.
‘We always choose to focus on celebrating the things that unite us versus those that divide us. As such, we have changed the flag displays in our park to feature American flags.’
The Confederate States of America flag had been displayed at the Dallas-area theme park near the toll entrance and in the ‘Star Mall’ parts of the park since it opened in 1961.
The ‘Stars and Bars’ design (far right) differs in appearance from the Confederate battle flag, which consists of two blue bars, lined with white stars, forming an ‘X’ across a red background
After 56 years, Six Flags will no longer fly the Confederate flag over its theme parks in Texas
Protesters also gathered in New York’s Central Park on Saturday to demand the removal of a statue of a 19th century doctor who conducted experiments on African American women slaves.
A bronze likeness of Dr. James Marion Sims stands at the entrance of Central Park at Fifth Avenue and 103rd Street in Manhattan.
The statue, which was originally dedicated in 1894, stands to honor the man considered to be ‘the father of modern gynecology.’
According to the New York City Parks Department, Sims, who was born in South Carolina in 1813, owned slaves.
Protesters gathered in New York’s Central Park on Saturday to demand the removal of a statue of a 19th century doctor who conducted experiments on African American women slaves
While he is credited with treating vesicovaginal fistula, a condition in women that was common after child birth, he is also known to have conducted a series of experiments on black women.
In some cases, Sims did not use anesthesia on his subjects.
A bronze likeness of Dr. James Marion Sims stands at the entrance of Central Park at Fifth Avenue and 103rd Street in Manhattan. Two women protesters painted their clothes as part of their demonstration
‘Memorializing of imperialist slaveholders, murderers and torturers like J. Marion Sims is white supremacy,’ said Rossanna Mercedes, 27, a member of Black Youth Project 100.
Her remarks were reported by the New York Daily News.
‘We will no longer allow government institutions like the New York City Parks Department to passively allow symbols of oppression,’ she said.
‘At best, J. Marion Sims was a racist man who exploited the institution of racism for his own gain,’ another protester, Seshat Mack, 24, said.
‘At best, he was a man who recognized the humanity of black slaves to use them for medical research about the human body — but not enough to recognize and treat their pain during surgery.’
The city has refused demands to move the statue, which originally stood in Bryant Park before it was moved to its current location.
The location of the statue is significant, since it lies in East Harlem – a racially diverse community.
In Columbia, South Carolina, the mayor, Steve Benjamin, has vowed to remove a bust of Sims on the grounds of the South Carolina Statehouse.
DUKE UNIVERSITY REMOVES CONTROVERSIAL STATUE
The empty plinth where a statue of Confederate commander General Robert E Lee once stood is flanked by statues of Thomas Jefferson and the poet Sidney Lanier at the entrance to Duke University’s Duke Chapel after officials removed the controversial statue early Saturday morning in Durham, North Carolina
Duke University removed a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee from the entrance of a chapel on the Durham, North Carolina, campus, officials said on Saturday, days after it was vandalized.
The decision to take down the statue followed discussions among students, faculty, staff and alumni about maintaining safety on campus, university President Vincent E. Price said in a statement.
‘I took this course of action to protect Duke Chapel, to ensure the vital safety of students and community members who worship there, and above all to express the deep and abiding values of our university,’ Price said.
The prestigious university will preserve the statue of Lee, who led Confederate forces in the American Civil War of 1861-1865, and use it as an educational tool so that students can study ‘Duke’s complex past,’ Price added.
The Confederacy, comprised of 11 Southern states, broke from the Union largely to preserve the institution of slavery.
Symbols of the Confederacy have come into focus since last weekend, when white nationalists, angered at the planned removal of a statue of Lee from a park in Charlottesville, Virginia, engaged in violent protests where a counter-protester was killed.
The Robert E. Lee statue, one of 10 outside Duke Chapel, was vandalized and defaced late on Wednesday night. Campus security discovered the damage early Thursday, according to university officials.
The incident was under investigation.
‘Wednesday night’s act of vandalism made clear that the turmoil and turbulence of recent months do not stop at Duke’s gates,’ Price said.
– Reuters