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2020 has seen the movement to remove Confederate monuments grow and expand, now giving greater scrutiny to other historical figures. Statues of former Presidents George Washington, Ulysses S. Grant, and Theodore Roosevelt have become high profile targets for attack or removal. In July the City of Chicago removed statues of Christopher Columbus from Chicago parks in the dead of night 'until further notice.'  Heroes of the past are no longer revered but demoted to positions of dishonor.   Should these relics be removed? Or preserved as mementos of history?

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2020 has seen the movement to remove Confederate monuments grow and expand, now giving greater scrutiny to other historical figures. Statues of former Presidents George Washington, Ulysses S. Grant, and Theodore Roosevelt have become high profile targets for attack or removal. In July the City of Chicago removed statues of Christopher Columbus from Chicago parks in the dead of night 'until further notice.'  Heroes of the past are no longer revered but demoted to positions of dishonor.   Should these relics be removed? Or preserved as mementos of history?

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Removed: Christopher Columbus, part of the Drake Fountain in South Chicago
https://blockclubchicago.org/2020/07/31/citys-last-columbus-statue-removed-in-south-chicago/

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An estimated crowd of 30,000 peaceful protesters demanding police reform returned to Union Park Saturday, a week after the George Floyd protests and accompanying riots rattled the city.

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Robert E. Lee statue is removed from its pedestal at The University of Texas at Austin, Aug. 20-21, 2017.

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However, the state of Alabama filed a lawsuit against the City of Birmingham for its removal of a historic monument in violation of the Alabama Memorial Preservation Act.

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Legislative protection for the Confederacy is weakening; Virginia recently passed legislation allowing localities the power to remove monuments in public spaces.

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George Floyd is killed by police on May 25, 2020, during an arrest in Minneapolis, powering a massive movement against police brutality and racial injustice. Among the actions taken are removal of Confederate monuments, some deliberately breaking laws that prohibit their removal.

Wikipedia maintains an ongoing list: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_monuments_and_memorials_removed_during_the_George_Floyd_protests

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Three years after the Charleston massacre, 100 Confederate monuments had been removed. However many symbols honoring the Confederacy remain in public spaces, including: 

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Three years after the Charleston massacre, 100 Confederate monuments had been removed. However many symbols honoring the Confederacy remain in public spaces, including: 

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·         780 Confederate monuments and statues on public property throughout the U.S.

·         103 public K-12 schools and three colleges named after prominent Confederates

·         80 counties and cities named for Confederates

·         11 states have 23 Confederate holidays or observances in their state codes

·         10 major U.S. military bases are named in honor of Confederate military leaders

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Full Report: https://www.splcenter.org/20190201/whose-heritage-public-symbols-confederacy#findings

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President Donald Trump sided with those who want to continue honoring the Confederacy

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In response, some state legislatures enacted monument protection laws preventing cities and counties from removing monuments. (Click to read the full bill summary.)

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Actions were not without criticism, with complaints that removing a flag, monument, renaming a military base or school, or ending a state holiday is ‘erasing history.'

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What followed was a grass roots movement resulting in the removal of more than 100 monuments and other symbols within three years of the massacre.

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A white supremacist murders nine Black individuals attending a Bible study meeting at the Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston, South Carolina.