It seems that the effect of the forced removal of the statue of Cecil John Rhodes from UCT’s campus this year has rippled across to Texas. A statue of Jefferson Davis, the President of the Confederate States of America, was removed from its pedestal on Sunday on the campus of the University of Texas in Austin.
This was after various vandalism attacks as well as loads of criticism that it was a symbol of racism and discrimination – just like Cecil was deemed. Perhaps the events of UCT wasn’t a direct influence, but it seems that the similarities are apparent and could just be the influence of a world wide conscious movement. All over the USA, confederate symbols are being re-considered following the mass shooting in Charleston, South Carolina.
An iconic moment, the statue will instead be displayed in the Briscoe Center history museum on the campus, which has one of the USA’s largest archives on slavery.
University officials halted earlier plans to move the Davis statue after the Sons of Confederate Veterans asked a judge to stop them. The Confederate group compared the proposal to relocate the statue to the Islamic State group destroying artifacts in the Middle East.But State District Judge Karin Crump ruled last week that Texas officials have the authority under state law to decide where the statue should stand.
One step at a time, mankind, one step at a time.
[source: bigstory]
