人兽性交

MONTGOMERY, Ala. 鈥� While several southern states have respectfully moved away from observing Confederate Memorial Day, Alabama and Mississippi will continue the tradition today. On Tuesday, April 26, Florida will also celebrate Confederate Memorial Day. Even though Georgia rebranded the day as a 鈥渟tate holiday,鈥� Stone Mountain Park is keeping the Confederacy alive by allowing white nationalists to commemorate the legacy of slavery on public land.

The following statement is from the Southern Poverty Law Center Chief of Staff and Culture Lecia Brooks:

鈥淭his time last year, we were optimistic that Gov. Brian Kemp鈥檚 leadership changes to the Stone Mountain Memorial Association (SMMA) would produce a more inclusive 鈥� and less offensive 鈥� public space for Georgians and visitors to enjoy. But later this month, Stone Mountain Park will once again , as it did in 1915 when the Ku Klux Klan was reborn .

鈥淭his is a disgraceful reversal for the SMMA, which promised 鈥樷�� about the park鈥檚 ugly history going forward. Unfortunately, they also continue to accommodate the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV), a heritage group that exists to keep the Confederacy鈥檚 lies and propaganda alive.

鈥淔or the park to authorize their presence yet again, after repeated pleas from local activists like the to reject such arrogant displays of white privilege, serves as a direct blow and insult to the city鈥檚 , Georgians, and tourists. Allowing SCV to celebrate the values of the Confederacy on public land validates the rhetoric of SCV and its keynote speaker, which sends a dangerous message that Stone Mountain continues to be a safe space for white nationalists to gather.

鈥淯nlike Stone Mountain Park, there are states that respect the sentiments of communities that want symbols of hate removed from their public spaces. From to to , Americans are recognizing that the true legacy of the Confederacy was to preserve the institution of slavery and promote white supremacy.鈥�

The Path Forward聽
In 2021, 73 Confederate memorials were removed from public spaces. Seven of those removals happened in Florida 鈥� including six school renamings 鈥� thanks to the efforts of Jacksonville activists. The now looks to hold the Mayor accountable for his 2020 promise to remove all symbols of the Confederacy from the city, starting with the .

Last week, St. Landry Parish in Louisiana of a 102-year-old statue from courthouse property instead of rededicating it. Lee Circle has been . Confederate Memorial Day and Robert E. Lee Day as legal holidays are now also on the table. By 2023, hopefully Louisiana and South Carolina will no longer revel in the Confederacy鈥檚 divisive and oppressive past. 聽is being renamed.听And Georgia students are taking the lead by continuing their push to , which honors a Confederate leader who fought to ensure that Black people would remain enslaved.

Brooks continued, 鈥淲hile some heritage groups and states consistently use this month to honor those who fought to preserve slavery, Americans across the country are taking action by rejecting revisionist history and removing Confederate memorials in all their inhumane forms.

鈥淲e are even reimagining the statues born out of fear and intimidation to create art that tells a more complete story, like the which unites the Black experience before, during, and after the Civil War.

鈥淎s the month of April closes with Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, and the SMMA鈥檚 refusal to end this annual tribute to defeat, the Southern Poverty Law Center (人兽性交) salutes every activist doing this hard but necessary work on the ground.

鈥淲hile some memorials remain standing despite your advocacy, many thanks to grassroots efforts. The 人兽性交 understands that this work is not easy, but know that we support you and will not stop fighting alongside you until all symbols of the Confederacy are removed from public space.鈥�

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Earlier this year, the 人兽性交 released the third edition of its Whose Heritage? report, data, and map, which tracks public symbols of the Confederacy across the United States. The report shows that more than 2,000 Confederate memorials are still publicly present in the U.S. and over 700 of those are monuments.

If you know of a Confederate symbol in your area or would like to share an update, please send an email to confederateupdates@splcenter.org.听