US

Civil War Monument Rededicated After Being Removed From Louisville

REUTERS/Bryan Woolston

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For years a statue stood near the University of Louisville’s campus commemorating those from Louisville who died in the Civil War featuring a large Confederate soldier as its crown, leading to accusations from members of the U of L community that it is a symbol of white supremacy.

The statue was rededicated in Brandenburg, Ky., on Monday, WDRB News reports, and city officials claim that the statue is important to Brandenburg’s Civil War history.

Locals came to protest the rededication as they view the statue as a symbol of racial inequality, but Brandenburg Mayor Ronnie Joyner defended the statue’s presence.

“We all have our opinions about history, but I’ve never looked at this thing as representing slavery,” Joyner said, according to WDRB. “You know, this is a confederates veterans monument, and that’s all,” pointing out that the statue is “about the veterans.”

Protesters claim that it is important to remember our history, but that this monument falls short, as it does not address the racial inequality that the Confederates stood for.

The removal of the monument in Louisville comes on the heels of Louisiana’s removal of four Civil War memorials in an attempt to protect the public from being exposed to symbols of racism.

Critics of the removal of Civil War memorials argue that simply erasing history is not a proper way to heal racial divisions and shielding people from potentially insensitive material is inadequate preparation for the free exchange of ideas in the U.S.