Jefferson Davis Statue Removed In Texas, Confederate Monument Compared To Pearl Harbor/Hiroshima
After the University of Texas at Austin had a Jefferson Davis statue removed, the Sons of Confederate Veterans promised to keep fighting to keep Texas Confederate monument sites intact. The organization has compared the removal of the Confederate statue to Pearl Harbor, and they promise that “Hiroshima is coming.”
In a related report by the Inquisitr, when University President Gregory Fenves gave the order to have the Jefferson Davis statue removed, he said that it will be relocated to a museum, not destroyed or dismantled. Fenves also noted that the former Confederate president had few ties to Texas.
“While every historical figure leaves a mixed legacy, I believe Jefferson Davis is in a separate category, and that it is not in the university’s best interest to continue commemorating him on our Main Mall,” Fenves said. “Davis had few ties to Texas; he played a unique role in the history of the American South that is best explained and understood through an educational exhibit.”
Don Carleton, executive director of the Briscoe Center for American History at UT, claims the Jefferson Davis statue was commissioned in 1933 to remind everyone of states’ rights in relation to the federal government. But some students wanted the Jefferson Davis statue removed since some thought it was a reminder of “old ties to slavery.”
The Sons of Confederate Veterans in Texas fought this decision, claiming that their Confederate monument sites were not intended to be offensive or racist.
“I don’t think we’re trying to put up stuff just to put up stuff,” said Marshall Davis, spokesman for the Sons of Confederate Veterans in Texas. “We don’t want to impede anyone else from honoring their heroes. We would like to honor our heroes with the same consideration, tolerance, and diversity. The fact that the state of Texas joined the Confederate States of America is history. It happened. It’s not a matter of opinion.”
The organization tried to delay the decision by the university, but a judge eventually ordered the Jefferson Davis statue removed from the college premises. The process took about almost three hours, and about 100 students showed up to cheer and sing as the Confederate statue was taken down.
“When we were making fun of it back in March, we didn’t think it would result in anything but resparking a debate,” said Xavier Rotnofsky, UT’s student body president, according to The Dallas Morning News. “It’s very satisfying. What started off as a very far-fetched idea during the campaign — we came through with and the school year has barely started.”
UT public health junior Amber Magee, who was on hand to see the Jefferson Davis statue removed, said that watching the Confederate monument disappear made her feel like she matters.
“I think that this more than anything, it is a fantastic first step for showing support for students of color, for really anything that students identify as an impairment to their personal experience, education or their personal growth,” Magee said, according to KERA.
But the Sons of Confederate Veterans said they have just began to fight. They said the school’s action has “awakened the sleeping giant” and they compared the situation to Pearl Harbor.
“This is the beginning of legal procedure; this is the beginning of the fight,” said Kirk Lyons, the lawyer for the Sons of Confederate Veterans. “What has happened was a cultural atrocity — this is a desecration of art. Hiroshima is coming. Greg Fenves will rue the day.”
The #JeffersonDavis statue is officially removed from #UTAustin @thedailytexan pic.twitter.com/dQlalDkjSw
— Bryce Seifert (@bryceseifert) August 30, 2015
[Image via The Dallas Morning News]
