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In reversal, Virginia school board votes to restore Confederate names to 2 schools
Read full article: In reversal, Virginia school board votes to restore Confederate names to 2 schoolsA Virginia school board has voted to restore the names of Confederate military leaders to a high school and an elementary school four years after the names were removed.
National Cathedral replaces windows honoring Confederacy with stained-glass homage to racial justice
Read full article: National Cathedral replaces windows honoring Confederacy with stained-glass homage to racial justiceThe landmark Washington National Cathedral has unveiled new stained-glass windows with a theme of racial justice.
Civil rights groups condemn 'Soul Fest' concerts at Georgia park with giant Confederate carving
Read full article: Civil rights groups condemn 'Soul Fest' concerts at Georgia park with giant Confederate carvingCivil rights groups are criticizing a concert series with Black performers dubbed “Soul Fest” that is being held at a Georgia park with a giant carving of Confederate leaders.
Supreme Court won't review North Carolina's decision to nix license plates with Confederate flag
Read full article: Supreme Court won't review North Carolina's decision to nix license plates with Confederate flagThe Supreme Court says it won’t review North Carolina’s decision to stop issuing specialty license plates with the Confederate flag.
Will Confederate statue return to downtown Bradenton?
Read full article: Will Confederate statue return to downtown Bradenton?Manatee County officials could soon decide whether to restore and replace the Confederate monument that stood for decades outside the historic courthouse in downtown Bradenton.
Mastriano wore Confederate uniform for faculty photo
Read full article: Mastriano wore Confederate uniform for faculty photoPennsylvania GOP gubernatorial nominee Doug Mastriano posed in a Confederate uniform for a faculty photo at the Army War College, three years before he retired from the U.S. Army.
Confederate flag-toting man, son convicted in Capitol riot
Read full article: Confederate flag-toting man, son convicted in Capitol riotA federal judge has convicted a Confederate flag-toting man and his son of charges that they stormed the U.S. Capitol together to obstruct Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s electoral victory.
SC workers may get Juneteenth, Confederate holiday choice
Read full article: SC workers may get Juneteenth, Confederate holiday choiceA bill that would allow state employees to take the Juneteenth holiday or any other day instead of Confederate Memorial Day has unanimously passed the South Carolina Senate.
Experts pull documents, money from Lee statue time capsule
Read full article: Experts pull documents, money from Lee statue time capsuleConservation experts in Virginia’s capital pulled books, money, ammunition, documents and other artifacts from a time capsule found in the remnants of a pedestal that once held a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E.
Northam to remove Lee statue pedestal, transfer land to city
Read full article: Northam to remove Lee statue pedestal, transfer land to cityVirginia Gov. Ralph Northam has announced that his administration will remove an enormous pedestal that until earlier this year held a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E.
New trial after jury met in room with Confederate symbols
Read full article: New trial after jury met in room with Confederate symbolsA Tennessee appeals court has granted a new trial for a Black man who was convicted of aggravated assault by an all-white jury that deliberated in a room containing Confederate symbols.
Jacksonville City Council will decide fate of Confederate monuments in 2022
Read full article: Jacksonville City Council will decide fate of Confederate monuments in 2022There are a number of pressing issues and hot-button topics facing Jacksonville, including the future of the city’s remaining Confederate monuments, suspension of curbside recycling pickup and traffic delays due to trains.
Jacksonville to decide fate of Confederate monument in 2022
Read full article: Jacksonville to decide fate of Confederate monument in 2022City council members in Jacksonville have set a goal to decide by next summer whether to remove a Confederate monument from a local park or let it remain in place.
Confederate monument will stay in Florida park, for now
Read full article: Confederate monument will stay in Florida park, for nowA proposal to remove a Confederate monument from a Jacksonville park has been withdrawn after a heated debate that ended with the audience being ordered out of City Council chambers.
Famed cathedral names artist to replace Confederate windows
Read full article: Famed cathedral names artist to replace Confederate windowsWashington National Cathedral says an artist renowned for his works depicting African American life will design new stained-glass windows with racial justice themes to replace ones with Confederate imagery.
Confederate bust moved from Tennessee Capitol building
Read full article: Confederate bust moved from Tennessee Capitol buildingA decades-long fight has been resolved in Tennessee, over the bust of a Confederate general and early Ku Klux Klan leader that stood in a place of honor inside the state's Capitol.
'An incredible day' as Lee statue removed in Charlottesville
Read full article: 'An incredible day' as Lee statue removed in CharlottesvilleA Confederate monument that helped spark a violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, has been hoisted off its stone pedestal and hauled away to storage.
Virginia city council votes to remove Confederate statues
Read full article: Virginia city council votes to remove Confederate statuesOfficials in a Virginia city have voted unanimously to remove two statues of Confederate generals, including one that was the focus of a violent white nationalist rally in 2017.
Virginia court to hear challenges to removal of Lee statue
Read full article: Virginia court to hear challenges to removal of Lee statueThe Supreme Court of Virginia is set to hear arguments in legal challenges to Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam's plan to take down a 131-year-old statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E.
Arrest warrant issued for man in Confederate monument theft
Read full article: Arrest warrant issued for man in Confederate monument theftPolice in Alabama have issued an arrest warrant for a man in connection with the bizarre theft of a Confederate monument that was taken from an Alabama cemetery and found in Louisiana.
High court: Charlottesville can remove Confederate statues
Read full article: High court: Charlottesville can remove Confederate statuesOn Thursday, April 1, 2021, Virginia's highest court ruled that the city of Charlottesville can take down this and another statue of a Confederate general. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)RICHMOND, Va. – Virginia's highest court ruled Thursday that the city of Charlottesville can take down two statues of Confederate generals, including one of Robert E. Lee that became the focus of a violent white nationalist rally in 2017. AdThe Jackson statue was erected in Jackson Park in 1921 and the Lee statue was erected in Lee Park in 1924. The state Supreme Court also ruled that the circuit court erred in ordering the city to pay $365,000 in plaintiffs’ attorneys’ fees and costs. University of Virginia law Richard Schragger, who specializes in the intersection of constitutional law and local government law, said he took the position early in the litigation that the law didn’t apply to the Charlottesville statues.
Arizona GOP wants felony for protesters who damage statues
Read full article: Arizona GOP wants felony for protesters who damage statuesRepublicans in the Arizona Legislature are reacting to last year's wave of damage to Confederate monuments by civil rights protesters here and across the nation by working to make it a felony to damage or destroy any public or private monument or statue. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)PHOENIX – Republicans in the Arizona Legislature are reacting to last year's wave of damage to Confederate monuments by civil rights protesters here and across the nation by working to make it a felony to damage or destroy any public or private monument or statue. Rep. John Kavanagh supported his proposal at a Senate committee hearing Thursday by saying public monuments are a statement by the community that demand more protection. The proposal adds defacing a monument or statue to existing law that makes it a aggravated felony offense to deface a cemetery headstone or church. Scores of Confederate statues, monuments or markers were removed from public land across the country after Floyd’s death.
Florida man who flew massive Confederate flag near I-4 found dead
Read full article: Florida man who flew massive Confederate flag near I-4 found deadAuthorities say Lambert, who spearheaded flying a massive Confederate flag at the corners of two busy Florida interstates, has died. Officers say they found the 73-year-old dead on his small farm in Tampa on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Tamara Lush, File)TAMPA, Fla. – A man who bragged of tricking local Florida officials into letting him fly a massive Confederate flag at the corners of two busy interstates has died, authorities said. Police said officers found 73-year-old Marion Lambert dead on his small farm in Tampa on Wednesday. In 2008, he unfurled a 30-by-50-foot flag — at the time it was the biggest Confederate flag in the nation — much to the disgust of many.
Years of white supremacy threats culminated in Capitol riots
Read full article: Years of white supremacy threats culminated in Capitol riotsBoth within and outside the walls of the Capitol, banners and symbols of white supremacy and anti-government extremism were displayed as an insurrectionist mob swarmed the U.S. Capitol. “These displays of white supremacy are not new,” said Lecia Brooks, chief of staff of the Southern Poverty Law Center. While not all the anti-government groups were explicitly white supremacist, Tuchman said many support white supremacist beliefs. “This is their new ‘Lost Cause' and a continuation of the original ‘Lost Cause,'” she said. Brooks said she worries the rampage at the Capitol and proliferation of white supremacist symbols will encourage similar actions at state capitals.
Mississippi governor signs law for flag without rebel emblem
Read full article: Mississippi governor signs law for flag without rebel emblemMembers of the Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol Honor Guard prepare to raise the new Mississippi State flag at the Capitol in Jackson, Monday, Jan. 11, 2021. Tate Reeves signed a law that created the new state flag with magnolia at the center, six months after the state retired the last state flag in the U.S. that included the Confederate battle emblem. The law retiring the old flag also specified that the commission's proposed new flag would go on the Nov. 3 ballot for a yes-or-no vote. The Ku Klux Klan and other hate groups have waved the Confederate battle flag for decades. A few dozen people demonstrated on the south steps of the Mississippi Capitol in support of reviving the old flag.
Small-town Alabama resident transformed to protest leader
Read full article: Small-town Alabama resident transformed to protest leaderTransformed by leaving the virtually all-white town where she grew up, Dunston has been leading the demonstrations since August. “Everybody’s getting tired,” Marshall County Commission Chairman James Hutcheson said in an interview. Organizing through social media and word of mouth, Dunston decided to take on the Confederate monument. Travis Jackson, a Black Lives Matter activist who lives near Montgomery, said coming to protest in little Albertville is motivating. Counterprotesters are common, including an area Black man who supports the Confederate monument and rebel flag.
House votes to override Trump's veto of defense bill
Read full article: House votes to override Trump's veto of defense bill(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)WASHINGTON – The Democratic-controlled House voted overwhelmingly Monday to override President Donald Trump’s veto of a defense policy bill, setting the stage for what would be the first veto override of his presidency. House members voted 322-87 to override the veto, well above the two-thirds needed to override. Trump rejected the defense bill last week, saying it failed to limit social media companies he claims were biased against him during his failed reelection campaign. The veto override was supported by 212 Democrats, 109 Republicans and an independent. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, in a rare break with Trump, had urged passage of the defense bill despite Trump’s veto threat.
Pentagon memo maps out plan to expand diversity in the force
Read full article: Pentagon memo maps out plan to expand diversity in the forceThe Pentagon has endorsed a new slate of initiatives to expand diversity within the ranks and reduce prejudice, including in recruiting, retention and professional development across the force. After extensive wrangling and debate, Esper this summer issued a directive that banned the display of the Confederate flag, without mentioning the word “ban” or that specific flag. Confederate flags, monuments and military base names became a national flashpoint in the weeks after Floyd's death. Ten major Army installations are named for Confederate Army officers, mostly senior generals, including Robert E. Lee. Among the 10 is Fort Benning, the namesake of Confederate Army Gen. Henry L. Benning, who was a leader of Georgia’s secessionist movement and an advocate of preserving slavery.
Defense bill in danger over Confederate-named military bases
Read full article: Defense bill in danger over Confederate-named military basesRepublicans are vowing they will not send the broader bill to Trump if it includes language requiring bases named after Confederate officers to be renamed. “It's Senate language that we want to agree to," said House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith, D-Wash. “So there shouldn't be controversy here." “Look, the defense bill is really important," Smith said, expressing hope that Republicans would relent. Both the House and Senate defense measures passed by veto-proof margins but GOP leaders want to avoid the chances of a veto coming to pass. The Associated Press erroneously reported that failure to pass the legislation could hold up a pay raise for the military.
Mississippi approves flag with magnolia, ‘In God We Trust’
Read full article: Mississippi approves flag with magnolia, ‘In God We Trust’The magnolia flower centered banner chosen Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2020 by the Mississippi State Flag Commission flies outside the Old State Capitol Museum in downtown Jackson, Miss. – Mississippi will fly a new state flag with a magnolia and the phrase “In God We Trust,” with voters approving the design Tuesday. It replaces a Confederate-themed flag state lawmakers retired months ago as part of the national reckoning over racial injustice. The final push for changing the Mississippi flag came from business, education, religious and sports groups — including, notably, the Mississippi Baptist Convention and the Southeastern Conference. Separately, supporters of the old Mississippi flag are starting an initiative that could revive the old flag by putting the Confederate-themed banner and some other designs up for a statewide vote.
Racial justice movement a factor for 5 state ballot measures
Read full article: Racial justice movement a factor for 5 state ballot measuresFILE - In this Tuesday, June 30, 2020 file photo, Mississippi Department of Finance and Administration employees Willie Townsend, left, and Joe Brown, attach a Mississippi state flag to the harness before raising it over the Capitol grounds in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)The Black Lives Matter movement isn’t named in any of the 120 statewide ballot measures up for a vote on Nov. 3. But this year's nationwide protests over police brutality and racial injustice are major factors in the campaigns in several states for measures with distinctive racial themes. In Mississippi and Rhode Island, Black supporters of the ballot measures hope this year’s nationwide spotlight on racial injustice will bring a different outcome than when similar proposals were on the ballot previously. In Utah, the slavery measure’s lead sponsor was Rep. Sandra Hollins, the only Black person now serving in the Legislature.
‘We are making history together:’ Orange County school renamed after Hispanic Hall of Famer, humanitarian
Read full article: ‘We are making history together:’ Orange County school renamed after Hispanic Hall of Famer, humanitarianORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – It’s a moment Sami Haiman-Marrero will forever remember, seeing the name of Roberto Clemente at what was formally known as Stonewall Jackson Middle School. The school, which had a name tied to a Confederate general, was recently renamed after the Latin-American and Caribbean Hall of Famer. It was his story that prompted Orange County School Board Member Johanna Lopez to push for a change. [Roberto Clemente: More than Latin America’s baseball star]Lopez said the majority of students at Roberto Clemente Middle School are Hispanic and 43% are Hispanic in the district. That’s very, very crucial and important in Orange County Public Schools,” Lopez said.
Poll: Virginians about evenly divided on Confederate statues
Read full article: Poll: Virginians about evenly divided on Confederate statuesIn a state where Confederate monuments have stood for more than a century and have recently become a flashpoint in the national debate over racial injustice, Virginians remain about evenly divided on whether the statues should stay or go, according to a new poll. The poll conducted this month by Hampton University and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 46% support removal of Confederate statues and 42% oppose removal. The poll conducted this month by Hampton University and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 46% support removal of Confederate statues and 42% oppose removal. The 2017 white nationalist rally in Charlottesville that left a counterprotester dead had its origins in a city debate over whether to remove Confederate statues. On another topic, the poll found only about 1 in 4 Virginians support keeping schools in the state completely closed to in-person learning.
Crews prepare to move Confederate memorial in St. Augustine
Read full article: Crews prepare to move Confederate memorial in St. AugustineST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. Crews are preparing to move a Confederate memorial from Plaza de la Constitucion in St. Augustine this week. The city's commissioners voted 3-2 in June to relocate the memorial. The monument is expected to be kept in a park-like setting with proper lighting, sidewalks and benches, The St. Augustine Record reported. The move is expected to cost the city $236,00, the newspaper reported. Traffic in the area will be affected on Wednesday and Thursday as crews move the monument.
Police chief on leave after confederate statue charges
Read full article: Police chief on leave after confederate statue chargesPORTSMOUTH, Va. The police chief in Portsmouth, Virginia, is on paid leave nearly three weeks after her department charged a state senator and several others from the city's Black community with conspiring to a damage a Confederate monument. City spokeswoman Dana Woodson confirmed in an email on Friday that Chief Angela Greene is on leave and that an assistant police chief will assume her duties in the meantime. Allies of State Sen. Louise Lucas in Richmond have called the felony charges against her legally weak and political. The case is based on words that police say Lucas spoke in the hours before protesters ripped heads off Confederate statues and pulled one down, critically injuring a demonstrator. Greene became Portsmouth's police chief in 2019 after chief Tonya Chapman resigned.
Florida county votes to move Confederate monument
Read full article: Florida county votes to move Confederate monumentPALATKA, Fla. A small Florida county will move its monument honoring Confederate soldiers from its spot in front of the courthouse. The Putnam County Commission voted 4-1 Tuesday to move the statue, using private donations, but did not decide when or where it will be moved. The monument consists of a Confederate soldier standing with a rifle atop a an approximately 20-foot (6-meter) granite base. The statue is in the county seat Palatka its population is 43% Black. This monument has been here for a long time and not caused a problem.The decision came weeks after nearby St. Augustine also voted to move its Confederate memorial.
Congressman seeks to end park's designation as Lee memorial
Read full article: Congressman seeks to end park's designation as Lee memorialBut Democratic Rep. Don Beyer, whose district is home to Arlington House, said it's time that Lee's name be stripped. Beyer's plans for legislation comes as descendants of a family enslaved at Arlington House have been lobbying for a name change. Surrounding the mansion is Arlington National Cemetery, which draws nearly 4 million visitors a year. Craig Syphax of Arlington is one of the descendants of Arlington House slaves who requested Beyer take action. He said learning his family history in his adult years helped give him a new outlook on life.
No immediate ruling on motion to dismiss Lee statue lawsuit
Read full article: No immediate ruling on motion to dismiss Lee statue lawsuitRICHMOND, Va. A judge heard arguments Tuesday but did not immediately rule on whether to dismiss a lawsuit challenging Virginia Gov. Ralph Northams plans to remove an enormous statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee along Richmonds famed Monument Avenue. An injunction currently prevents Northams administration from moving forward with plans to take down the bronze equestrian statue of Lee. Now cloaked in graffiti, the Lee statue and other nearby monuments have become a rallying point during ongoing social justice protests and occasional clashes with police. Critics of the statues say they distastefully glorify people who fought to preserve slavery in the South.
Museum says displaying Confederate statue part of healing
Read full article: Museum says displaying Confederate statue part of healingJohn Guess Jr., CEO Emeritus of the Houston Museum of African American Culture, talks about the bronze statue "The Spirit of The Confederacy" on display at the museum, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020, in Houston. The statue, which has been in storage following its removal, arrived at the Houston Museum of African American Culture on Monday. Guess said he believes the museum is the first African American institution in the country to house a Confederate monument. Museum officials say people will be able to see the statue up close from the courtyard at a later date. The statue sits facing a collection of eye sculptures by Bert Long Jr., a Black Houston artist.
Creator of mosquito-themed state flag says design was a joke
Read full article: Creator of mosquito-themed state flag says design was a jokeMagnolias, stars, a Gulf Coast lighthouse, a teddy bear, and even Kermit the Frog appear on some of the over 1,800 proposals submitted by the general public for a new Mississippi flag and posted Monday, Aug. 3, 2020, on the Mississippi Department of Archives and History web site. The state recently retired the last state banner with the Confederate battle emblem that's widely condemned as racist and a nine-member commission will design a replacement that cannot include the Confederate symbol and must have the phrase, "In God We Trust." (Mississippi Department of Archives and History, via AP)
Mississippi flag design process: Elvis has left the building
Read full article: Mississippi flag design process: Elvis has left the buildingThe group has the duty to design a new Mississippi flag without the Confederate battle emblem and the banner must include the phrase, "In God We Trust." The new Mississippi state flag will not include beer cans, crawfish, a caramel cake, Elvis or Kermit the Frog. All eight of Mississippis public universities and a growing number of cities and counties stopped flying the state flag in recent years. Within weeks, leaders from business, religion and education were lobbying Mississippi legislators to ditch the flag and replace it with a more inclusive design. The NCAA said that because of the Confederate symbol on the flag, Mississippi could not host events determined by teams performances, which would affect sports such as baseball, womens basketball and softball.
Trump, GOP ally vow Confederate base names won't change
Read full article: Trump, GOP ally vow Confederate base names won't changeForty-nine GOP senators voted for the defense bill that includes the base-renaming, while just four Republicans voted against it. The aide steered a reporter to a statement McConnell made on the Senate floor praising the defense bill and its strong bipartisan support. There are 10 Army posts named for Confederate military leaders, including Fort Hood in Texas, Fort Benning in Georgia, Fort Bragg in North Carolina and Forts Robert E. Lee and A.P. The House bill would require the base names to be changed within a year, while the Senate would give the military three years to rename them. The Senates top Democrat, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, has dared Trump to veto the defense bill over Confederate base names.
Lee descendant urges official removal of Confederate statues
Read full article: Lee descendant urges official removal of Confederate statues(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)Democratic lawmakers and others urged official removal of Confederate monuments at the center of a politically fraught national debate, saying Tuesday that slow action was leading protesters to try to topple statues of defenders of slavery themselves. A descendant of Confederate military commander Robert E. Lee was among those joining Black historians at a hearing of the House subcommittee on national parks, forests and public lands to urge passage of legislation addressing Confederate statues at national parks and other federal sites. One of the bills would remove a statue of Lee erected this century at the battlefield of Antietam, the site of the deadliest day of fighting in the Civil War. Robert W. Lee IV, a descendant of the Souths military leader in the Civil War, cited his forebears testimony before Congress after the Civil War as evidence of the Confederate leader's unfitness for commemorative monuments. Trump increasingly has come out in defense of the Confederate statues and other historical tributes to the Civil Wars defeated side.
WH threatens defense bill veto over Confederate base names
Read full article: WH threatens defense bill veto over Confederate base namesWASHINGTON The White House is threatening to veto a massive defense policy bill over a provision that would rename military bases such as Fort Bragg that are named after Confederate officers. The House approved the bill, 295-125, sending it to the Senate, where lawmakers are considering a similar measure. If the bill were presented to President Donald Trump in its current form, his senior advisors would recommend that he veto it, the White House said. The Senate's top Democrat, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, dared Trump to veto the defense bill over Confederate base naming. It also requires designation of an assistant secretary of defense for industrial base policy, charged with supervising Pentagon policies to develop and maintain the nation's defense industrial base.
Pentagon bans Confederate flag in way to avoid Trump's wrath
Read full article: Pentagon bans Confederate flag in way to avoid Trump's wrath(AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)WASHINGTON After weeks of wrangling, the Pentagon on Friday will ban displays of the Confederate flag on military installations, in a carefully worded policy that doesn't mention the word ban or that specific flag. Confederate flags, monuments and military base names have become a national flashpoint in the weeks since the death of George Floyd. Trump has flatly rejected any notion of changing base names, and has defended the flying of the Confederate flag, saying its a freedom of speech issue. The Marine Corps has already banned the Confederate flag. Gen. David Berger, the commandant of the Marine Corps, directed his commanders in early June to remove public displays of the Confederate battle flag.
Black Lives Matter billboard placed next to Confederate flag
Read full article: Black Lives Matter billboard placed next to Confederate flagA Black Lives Matter billboard is seen next to a Confederate flag in Pittsboro, N.C., Thursday, July 16, 2020. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)A Black Lives Matter sign now fills a billboard next to a big Confederate flag that greets people coming into a small town outside Raleigh, thrilling some community organizers and angering the property owner. Friends called and asked if they could put a Confederate flag on my property," White said. He says they did it because the county commissioners had removed the Confederate statue.White has leased the billboard to Lamar Advertising, which sent representatives to notify him before putting up the Black Lives Matter sign on it. They wanted to know how I would react to it, and I told them I would not want a Black Lives Matter sign on that billboard, he said.
Officials: Pentagon eyes new way to bar Confederate flag
Read full article: Officials: Pentagon eyes new way to bar Confederate flagDefense Secretary Mark Esper discussed the new plan with senior leaders this week, triggering some bewilderment over the lack of an appetite for a straight-forward ban on divisive symbols. The Marine Corp has already banned the Confederate flag saying it can inflame division and weaken unit cohesion. The Confederate flag is not among them - thus barring its display without singling it out in a ban.Acceptable flags would include the U.S. and state banners and the widely displayed POW/MIA flag. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy told reporters on Thursday that he is still working on a policy that would remove all divisive symbols from Army installations. Trump has flatly rejected any notion of changing base names, and has defended the flying of the Confederate flag, saying its a freedom of speech issue.
NASCAR hosting largest sporting event crowd since pandemic
Read full article: NASCAR hosting largest sporting event crowd since pandemicBRISTOL, Tenn. Fans are trickling into Bristol Motor Speedway for Wednesday nights All-Star race in NASCARs largest event with spectators since the coronavirus pandemic shut sports down in March. They were greeted by a plane flying over the Tennessee track that was pulling a banner of the Confederate flag, which NASCAR has banned from its races. Crowd estimates for that event have been around 10,000 spectators, but the NASCAR race would likely be the largest sporting event in the United States since March. President Donald Trump has criticized NASCAR for banning the Confederate flag, blaming the decision for the sport's low ratings, although TV ratings for NASCAR have been up since racing resumed. The one flying over Bristol Motor Speedway listed only the group's website address.
Esper order aims to expand diversity, skirts major decisions
Read full article: Esper order aims to expand diversity, skirts major decisionsWASHINGTON Defense Secretary Mark Esper took steps Wednesday to expand diversity within the military and reduce prejudice, but he skirted several major decisions, including whether to ban the Confederate flag at defense installations. President Donald Trump has flatly rejected any notion of changing base names, and has defended the flying of the Confederate flag, saying its a freedom of speech issue. The Marine Corps and U.S. commands in Korea and Japan have already banned display of the Confederate flag, saying it can inflame division and weaken unit cohesion. For example, he ordered the military to no longer include photos of service members when they are being considered by a promotion board. He also ordered a review of hairstyle and grooming policies, which all the military services have done multiple times in recent years.
Trump bristles at question about police killing Blacks
Read full article: Trump bristles at question about police killing BlacksWASHINGTON President Donald Trump bristled Tuesday at a reporter's question about police killing African Americans and defended the right to display the Confederate flag as he continued to play into racial divisions in a pair of interviews. In one interview, Trump seemed taken aback when asked why African Americans are still dying at the hands of police. So are white people," Trump told CBS's Catherine Herridge. In the interview, Trump also defended the use of the Confederate flag, despite saying in 2015 that he believed the flag belongs in a museum. My attitude is freedom of speech," Trump responded.
Confederate statue being moved at University of Mississippi
Read full article: Confederate statue being moved at University of MississippiFILE - In this Feb. 23, 2019 file photo a Confederate soldier monument stands at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Miss. A Confederate monument thats been a divisive symbol at the University of Mississippi was being removed Tuesday from a prominent spot on the Oxford campus. Its not going to create a shrine to the Confederacy, University of Mississippi Chancellor Glenn Boyce told The Associated Press on June 24 at the state Capitol. Since 2016, the university has installed plaques to provide historical context about the Confederate monument and about slaves who built some campus buildings before the Civil War. A plaque installed at the base of the Confederate statue says such monuments were built across the South decades after the Civil War, at a time that aging Confederate veterans were dying.
Crews continue work to remove Richmond's Confederate statues
Read full article: Crews continue work to remove Richmond's Confederate statuesRICHMOND, Va. Work crews were back at work Thursday removing Confederate monuments from Virginia's capital city, a process that began last week after Mayor Levar Stoney ordered all city-owned Confederate statues cleared away amid weeks of protests over police brutality and racism. Crews returned to the site of a monument honoring Confederate naval commander and scientist Matthew Fontaine Maury. The Maury statue was unveiled in 1929 the last of five Confederate statues erected on Richmonds Monument Avenue. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that a Confederate heritage group wants to display the statues on private property. Richmonds largest statue left standing is on state land the massive monument to Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.
Monuments and statues are falling. But what comes next?
Read full article: Monuments and statues are falling. But what comes next?Activists and towns in the U.S. are left wondering what to do with empty spaces that once honored historic figures tied to racism as statues and monuments fell in June 2020. They also are debating how to remember civil rights figures and events in areas where they have been forgotten. Some advocates say monuments to the late U.S. Rep. Barbara Jordan or Mexican American civil rights leader Dolores Huerta should replace the fallen statues. Rob W. Lee, a senior pastor of Unifour Church in Newton, North Carolina, and a descendant of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, who now speaks out against Confederate monuments. Lee said he sees the toppling of Confederate statues with Black Lives Matter graffiti as a move to reclaim Black lives from white supremacy.
Richmond removing statue of Confederate Gen. J.E.B. Stuart
Read full article: Richmond removing statue of Confederate Gen. J.E.B. StuartEDS NOTE: OBSCENITY - The statue of Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart is covered in graffiti on Monument Avenue, Monday, July 6, 2020, in Richmond, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)RICHMOND, Va. Work crews have begun taking down an enormous monument to Confederate Gen. J.E.B. The Stuart monument is one of several targeted by protesters in Richmond since the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25 prompted nationwide demonstrations. The Stuart statue has been the last major statue left, other than a massive statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee that's located on state land.
Lake County to inform governor that it no longer wants controversial Confederate statue
Read full article: Lake County to inform governor that it no longer wants controversial Confederate statueLAKE COUNTY, Fla. Lake County commissioners decided Tuesday to make it official that they no longer want a controversial Confederate statue by penning a letter to the governor informing him of the decision. The commission previously endorsed moving a statue of Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith to the Lake County Historical Society from the National Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol. The Board is unified in its support of the State ensuring that the Statue be displayed in a museum or similar indoor, secure facility, but the Board has determined that the Lake County Historical Courthouse, which houses the Lake County Historical Museum, is not an appropriate location for this particular artifact, Lake County Board of County Commissioners Chair Leslie Campione wrote in the letter. She cited three main reasons for not wanting the statue at the Lake County Historical Society: Smith did not have a connection to Lake County, the idea of acquiring the statue has created strife in the community and the role the Lake County Historical Courthouse played in the Groveland Four tragedy. In 1949, four Black men were wrongfully convicted at the Lake County Historical Courthouse of sexually attacking a 17-year-old white girl.
Trump lashes out at NASCAR, Bubba Wallace over flag, rope
Read full article: Trump lashes out at NASCAR, Bubba Wallace over flag, ropeExploiting racial tensions, Trump wrongly accused Bubba Wallace of perpetrating a hoax after one of his crew members discovered a rope shaped like a noose in a garage stall they had been assigned to. He has worn a shirt saying I Cant Breathe," raced with a Black Lives Matter paint scheme in Virginia and successfully lobbied for NASCAR's Confederate flag ban. For more than 70 years, the flag was a common and complicated sight at NASCAR races. The series first tried to ban the Confederate flag five years ago but did nothing to enforce the order. While Trump claimed NASCAR's ratings are down, they are actually up.
Museum: Dukes of Hazzard car with Confederate flag to stay
Read full article: Museum: Dukes of Hazzard car with Confederate flag to stayVOLO, Ill. A northern Illinois auto museum has no plan to stop displaying a Dodge Charger from the Dukes of Hazzard television show with the Confederate battle flag painted atop the vehicle. Statues of Confederate generals and soldiers are being taken down across the country, NASCAR has banned the flag from its races and the Confederate emblem is being removed from the Mississippi state flag. We feel the car is part of history, and people love it, museum director Brian Grams told the newspaper. Weve got people of all races and nationalities that remember the TV show and arent offended by it whatsoever. If were going to get complaints about the General Lee being here, weve got much worse items over in our military building, he said.
Robert E. Lee statue becomes epicenter of protest movement
Read full article: Robert E. Lee statue becomes epicenter of protest movement(AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)RICHMOND, Va. Just a little over a month ago, the area around Richmond's iconic statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee was as quiet and sedate as the statue itself. Clashes between police and protesters gathered near the statue have become a regular occurrence. The statue is located on Richmonds Monument Avenue, a boulevard of stately homes that also features several other Confederate monuments targeted for removal. At the Lee statue, a new vibe has emerged alongside the raucous atmosphere of protests, one that is more reminiscent of the hippie love and peace festivals of the 1960s. A group of civilian volunteers armed with handguns and rifles has been patrolling the area near the statue to keep protesters safe.
Mississippi retiring its rebel-themed former flag to museum
Read full article: Mississippi retiring its rebel-themed former flag to museumFile-This June 25, 2020, file photo shows a Mississippi state flag flying outside the Capitol in Jackson, Miss. Tate Reeves has said he will sign the bill, and the state flag would lose its official status as soon as he signs the measure. Mississippi officials are holding a ceremony Wednesday afternoon to relegate the former state flag to history, a day after Republican Gov. Mississippi faced increasing pressure in recent weeks to change its 126-year-old flag since protests against racial injustice have focused attention on Confederate symbols. The Museum of Mississippi History, near the Capitol, will establish an exhibit about the retired flag.
Confederate flag losing prominence 155 years after Civil War
Read full article: Confederate flag losing prominence 155 years after Civil WarMississippi is retiring the last state flag in the U.S. that includes the Confederate battle emblem. Mississippi's was the last state flag to include the design. Make no mistake: The Confederate flag isn't anywhere close to being gone from the South. But even Castello is surprised by how demonstrations over police brutality became a wave that seems to be washing over generations of adoration for the Confederate battle flag by some. To some, the Confederate battle flag with its red background, blue X and white stars is a down-home symbol of Southern heritage and pride.
The fight over removing Floridas oldest Civil War monument in St. Augustine
Read full article: The fight over removing Floridas oldest Civil War monument in St. AugustineST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. Three dozen descendants of fallen Confederate soldiers want a Florida city to hold off on removing a Confederate monument, worrying the historic relic might be damaged in the process, according to a lawsuit. St. Augustine city commissioners voted last week to remove the monument, which is the oldest Civil War monument in the state. The 30-foot tall relic, which lists the names of fallen soldiers, was placed in Plaza de La Constitution in 1879. The St. Augustine Record reported Monday that petitioners of the lawsuit fear the city can't guarantee its safe removal and want the city to wait until the Historic Architectural Review Board can evaluate the removal process. St. Augustine officials declined comment, but said they can't guarantee safety because of the difficulties preserving large, historic objects.
Governor to retire Mississippi's Confederate-themed flag
Read full article: Governor to retire Mississippi's Confederate-themed flagTate Reeves will sign a bill Tuesday evening to retire the last state flag in the U.S. that includes the Confederate battle emblem. As soon as the Republican governor signs the bill, the flag will lose its official status. Mississippi has come under increasing pressure to change its flag since protests against racial injustice have focused attention on Confederate symbols. The state flag has been a source of division for generations. Mississippi voters chose to keep the flag in a 2001 statewide election, with supporters saying they see it as a symbol of heritage.
Mississippi surrenders Confederate symbol from state flag
Read full article: Mississippi surrenders Confederate symbol from state flag"I love this flag," states David Flynt of Hattiesburg, while standing outside the state Capitol with other current Mississippi flag supporters in Jackson, Miss., Sunday, June 28, 2020. Lawmakers in both chambers are expected to debate state flag change legislation today. An increasing number of cities and all Mississippis public universities have taken down the state flag in recent years. Many people who wanted to keep the emblem on the Mississippi flag said they see it as a symbol of heritage. William Winter, who is now 97, served on then-President Bill Clintons national advisory board on race in the 1990s and was chairman of the Mississippi flag commission in 2000.
Mississippi set to remove Confederate emblem from its flag
Read full article: Mississippi set to remove Confederate emblem from its flagLarry Eubanks of Star waves the current Mississippi state flag as he sits before the front of the Capitol, Saturday, June 27, 2020, in Jackson, Miss. While a supporter of the current flag, Eubanks says he would hope lawmakers would allow a proposed flag change to be decided by the registered voters. Mississippi is on the verge of changing its state flag to erase a Confederate battle emblem that's broadly condemned as racist. Mississippi has the last state flag with the Confederate battle emblem a red field topped by a blue X with 13 white stars. White supremacists in the Mississippi Legislature set the state flag design in 1894 during backlash to the political power that African Americans gained after the Civil War.
Mississippi could strip Confederate symbol from state flag
Read full article: Mississippi could strip Confederate symbol from state flagA Mississippi state flag flies outside the Capitol in Jackson, Miss., Thursday, June 25, 2020. Athletic coaches and their staffs from the state's public universities held a joint news conference and called for a change in the Mississippi state flag. Dan Hartness of Ellisville, Mississippi, walked outside the Capitol carrying a pole that had both the American flag and the current Mississippi flag. He said the current state flag pays tribute to those who fought in the Civil War. Mississippi has the last state flag that includes the Confederate battle emblem a red field topped by a blue X with 13 white stars.
Army is taking limited steps to counter racial divisiveness
Read full article: Army is taking limited steps to counter racial divisivenessWASHINGTON The Army will take a few limited steps to counter racial divisiveness among its force, but is delaying a number of more contentious decisions, including recommendations on banning Confederate symbols and changing the names of bases. Trump two weeks ago said his administration will not even consider changing the name of any of the 10 Army bases that are names for Confederate Army officers. The Senate's top Republican, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, has said he would be OK with renaming bases. McCarthy and Esper both had indicated this month that they were open to discussions about renaming bases, but are now relying on Congress. The Navy, which had begun steps to direct the removal of Confederate symbols, has not finalized or put in place the plan.
Lobbying grows against Mississippi's rebel-themed flag
Read full article: Lobbying grows against Mississippi's rebel-themed flagIsiac Jackson calls for a change in the Mississippi state flag, Thursday, June 25, 2020, during a news conference at the Capitol in Jackson, Miss. The current flag has in the canton portion of the banner the design of the Civil War-era Confederate battle flag, that has been the center of a long-simmering debate about its removal or replacement. Well, the Klan used the Stars and Stripes more than it used the battle flag. The announcement came a day after the Southeastern Conference made a similar declaration aimed at the Mississippi state flag. Speaking to Mississippi legislators facing a decision about the flag, Buckley said: Youve been given the right crisis needed to do this.
Walmart to stop selling Mississippi state flag
Read full article: Walmart to stop selling Mississippi state flagThe nation's largest retailer is removing one state's flag from its shelves. On Tuesday, Walmart announced it would no longer display the Mississippi state flag in its stores. That includes the 85 locations it currently has in Mississippi. The Mississippi state flag includes the Confederate battle flag in its design. Walmart says this new policy falls in line with its decision to stop selling all merchandise with the Confederate flag in 2015.
Mississippi flag: 'In God We Trust' for Confederate symbol?
Read full article: Mississippi flag: 'In God We Trust' for Confederate symbol?In this April 25, 2020 photograph, a small Mississippi state flag is held by a participant during a drive-by "re-open Mississippi" protest past the Governor's Mansion, in the background, in Jackson, Miss. This current flag has in the canton portion of the banner the design of the Civil War-era Confederate battle flag, that has been the center of a long-simmering debate about its removal or replacement. Mississippi has the only state flag that includes the Confederate battle emblem a red field topped by a blue X with 13 white stars. In my mind, our flag should bear the Seal of the Great State of Mississippi and state In God We Trust, Hosemann said. Walmart announced Tuesday that it would stop displaying the Mississippi flag because of the Confederate emblem.
Baptists and Walmart criticize rebel-themed Mississippi flag
Read full article: Baptists and Walmart criticize rebel-themed Mississippi flagThere is a growing movement to replace the current state flag that has in the canton portion of the flag the design of the Civil War-era Confederate battle flag. The Confederate-themed Mississippi flag drew opposition Tuesday from two big forces in the culturally conservative state: Southern Baptists and Walmart. Walmart said it will stop displaying the Mississippi flag while the state debates whether to change the design. Ronnie Musgrove, a Democrat, appointed a 17-member commission to study flag design in 2000 and to make recommendations to the Legislature. All of Mississippi's public universities stopped flying the state flag years ago because of the Confederate symbol.
Fewer Confederate flags, fans present at Talladega
Read full article: Fewer Confederate flags, fans present at TalladegaThe Confederate flags were harder to find, too except for a plane circling above the track with the message Defund NASCAR trailing behind the flag. Only 5,000 fans were allowed in because of the coronavirus pandemic, with up to 44 RVs and the Confederate flags that once flew openly around the infield and stands are now banned. NASCAR hasn't disclosed how it will handle fans flying flags. A pickup truck with Confederate flags flying from the back tooled around Speedway Boulevard. He applauded NASCAR's decision to ban the Confederate flags.
While Confederate statues come down, other symbols targeted
Read full article: While Confederate statues come down, other symbols targetedSundays work follows the removal of two other Confederate statues on the state Capitol grounds in Raleigh on Saturday. Cooper ordered the statues removed after protesters toppled two other Confederate statues Friday night, stringing one up by the neck and hanging it from a light pole. Cooper has advocated the statues removal for years. In another case in California, symbols of the Black Lives Matter movement have been targeted in recent weeks with vandalism. The Ventura County Sheriffs Office said late Saturday that a tarp painted with the letters BLM has been repeatedly damaged in Thousand Oaks.
Statues toppled throughout US in protests against racism
Read full article: Statues toppled throughout US in protests against racismThe San Francisco protesters targeted Grant, who led the Union Army during the Civil War, and Key because they had once owned slaves. San Francisco Police spokesman Officer Adam Lobsinger said Saturday officers responded to the park but didn't intervene. The Washington, D.C. protesters took down the 11-foot (3.4-meter) statue of Albert Pike, the only statue of a Confederate general. But after the officers cleared the area, protesters mounted the obelisk and were able to take down the statues. ___Associated Press writers Lisa Baum in Seattle and Ashraf Khalil and Ashley Thomas in Washington, D.C., contributed to this story.
DC protesters pull down, burn statue of Confederate general
Read full article: DC protesters pull down, burn statue of Confederate generalPresident Donald Trump quickly tweeted about the toppling, calling out D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and writing: The DC police are not doing their job as they watched a statue be ripped down and burn. After the statue fell, most protesters returned peacefully to Lafayette Park near the White House. The Pike statue has been a source of controversy over the years. The former Confederate general was also a longtime influential leader of the Freemasons, who revere Pike and who paid for the statue. Ever since 1992, members of the DC Council have been calling on the federal govt to remove the statue of Confederate Albert Pike (a federal memorial on federal land).
Confederate obelisk removed from Georgia square amid cheers
Read full article: Confederate obelisk removed from Georgia square amid cheersWorkers remove a Confederate monument with a crane Thursday, June 18, 2020, in Decatur, Ga. The 30-foot obelisk in Decatur Square, erected by the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1908, was ordered by a judge to be removed and placed into storage indefinitely. The stone obelisk was lifted from its base with straps amid jeers and chants of Just drop it! from onlookers in Decatur, Georgia, who were kept a safe distance by sheriffs deputies. DeKalb County Judge Clarence Seeliger agreed, and ordered the 30-foot (9-meter) obelisk in Decatur Square to be removed by midnight June 26 and placed in storage indefinitely. DeKalb County spent several years trying to rid itself of the Lost Cause monument erected by the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1908.
NCAA: No championships in states with confederate symbol
Read full article: NCAA: No championships in states with confederate symbol(Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)The NCAA is expanding its policy banning states with prominent Confederate symbols from hosting its championship events. The current ban, in place since 2001, prevents states from hosting what the NCAA calls predetermined championship sites, such as mens basketball tournament games. Mississippi is the only state currently affected by the policy. The expanded policy means that even when sites of NCAA events are determined by performance, as they are in sports such as baseball, womens basketball and lacrosse, Mississippi schools will not be permitted to host.
Historical statues that have come down: A list
Read full article: Historical statues that have come down: A listStatues that have stood for years -- and in some cases, decades -- have been top of mind all across the country as protests take place following the deaths of George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks.
Injunction extended against removing Lee statue in Virginia
Read full article: Injunction extended against removing Lee statue in Virginia(AP Photo/Steve Helber)RICHMOND, Va. A judge on Thursday indefinitely extended an injunction preventing the Virginia governor from removing a historic statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from Richmonds famed Monument Avenue. The 12-ton (11 metric-ton), 21-foot-tall (6.4-meter-tall) statue has stood in a prominent spot along Monument Avenue since 1890. The Lee statue in Richmond has become a rallying point for demonstrators during more than two weeks of protests. The Lee statue is one of five Confederate monuments along Monument Avenue, a National Historic Landmark district. The Lee statue is on state property.
5 years after church massacre, S Carolina protects monuments
Read full article: 5 years after church massacre, S Carolina protects monumentsHe also left behind pictures of himself holding the gun used in the killings, posing at historic Civil War and African American sites and holding the Confederate flag. Outraged political leaders came together and overwhelmingly voted to take down a Confederate flag that flew near a monument to Confederate soldiers on the Statehouse lawn. The law protects all historical monuments and names of buildings, requiring a two-thirds vote from the state General Assembly to make any changes. The president of the University of South Carolina wants lawmakers to let the school remove the name of J. Marion Sims from a women's dorm. The time has come to take down the monuments that honor the evil that was done in the name of Charleston, in the name of South Carolina," Rivers said Tuesday at the foot of Calhoun's statue.
Protesters in Richmond tear down another Confederate statue
Read full article: Protesters in Richmond tear down another Confederate statueRICHMOND, Va. Demonstrators in Richmond tore down another Confederate statue in the city Tuesday night, news outlets reported. The paint-splattered statue was seen face down on the ground as the rain continued overnight in Virginias capital city, according to a video from the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Statues of Confederate president Jefferson Davis and Confederate Gen. Williams Carter Wickham as well as a Christopher Columbus were toppled by demonstrators in recent weeks. Protesters in Richmond started their march Tuesday night advocating for the removal of all Confederate statues, establishing a civilian review board over police actions and defunding the police, among other things, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported. Before its toppling, the Howitzers Monument showed a Confederate artilleryman standing in front of a gun.
Plaintiffs drop 1 lawsuit, file another over Lee statue
Read full article: Plaintiffs drop 1 lawsuit, file another over Lee statueThe six plaintiffs had initially filed a state lawsuit in Richmond Circuit Court on Monday, but Attorney General Mark Herring moved it to federal court. In response, the plaintiffs dropped the lawsuit altogether on Thursday and filed a new, similar suit again in the state court, said Attorney Patrick McSweeney. Northam announced earlier this month that the statue would be taken down and moved to storage while his administration seeks public input on its future. Herring, a Democrat like Northam, has pledged to defend Northams plans, calling the Lee statue a divisive relic.The statue is one of five memorials to the Confederacy along Monument Avenue, and the only one on state property. A hearing is scheduled Thursday in Richmond Circuit Court in a separate state lawsuit over the Lee statue removal plans.
McConnell 'OK' with removing Confederate names from bases
Read full article: McConnell 'OK' with removing Confederate names from bases(AP Photo/Chris Seward, File)WASHINGTON Top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell said Thursday hes OK with renaming military bases such as Ft. Bragg that are named after Confederate Army officers, declining to side with President Donald Trump and other Republicans opposed to the move. Trump has blasted the calls to rename the military bases. A GOP-controlled Senate panel voted last week to require bases such as Ft. Bragg and Ft. Similarly, top House Republican Kevin McCarthy of California said last week after repeated prodding that he doesn't oppose the idea. If it's appropriate to take another look at these names I'm OK with that, McConnell said.
Lake County no longer wants controversial Confederate statue
Read full article: Lake County no longer wants controversial Confederate statueLAKE COUNTY, Fla. Lake County commissioners said Tuesday it is going to ask Gov. In the past, the commission endorsed moving the statue to the Lake County Historical Society. There are no ties of Kirby Smith to our area, said Cassandra Brown, president of Lake County Voices of Reason. The group even filed a lawsuit against the county to keep the statue from being put on display at the Lake County Historical Museum. Residents expressed their grievances of housing the statue in Lake County, asking commissioners to do the right thing from the podium.
Mississippi official: Black people 'dependent' since slavery
Read full article: Mississippi official: Black people 'dependent' since slaveryAfter rejecting a proposal to move the monument, Sanders said this week that African Americans became dependent during slavery and have had a harder time assimilating into American life as other groups who have been mistreated have. After rejecting a proposal to move a Confederate monument, a white elected official in Mississippi said this week that African Americans became dependent during slavery and as a result, have had a harder time assimilating into American life than other mistreated groups. In northeastern Mississippi's Lowndes County, supervisors voted along racial lines Monday against moving a Confederate monument that has stood outside the county courthouse in Columbus since 1912. The monument depicts a Confederate soldier and says the South fought for a noble cause. Three white supervisors voted against the proposal and two black supervisors voted for it. One of the two black supervisors, Democrat Leroy Brooks, said people were not trying to change history, but wanted to rechannel some things that are offensive."