Racial violence is still a reality in the US, and, following the violence in Virgina, educational institutions have decided to take drastic measures. A statue of General Robert E. Lee was removed from the University Of Texas. Many monuments to Confederates are seen as a symbol of white nationalism and modern Nazism. The statue of Albert Sidney Johnston, another rebel general, and the statue of John H. Reagan, a Confederate postmaster, were removed. The statue of James Stephen Hogg, a Texas Governor, was also removed and it will be installed elsewhere.
The University of Texas protects its values
Greg Fenves, President of the University of Texas at Austin, stated that this educational institution has to preserve history while it doesn't run counter the core values of the educational institution, the values of the state of Texas and the values of the United States. A statue of the Confederate President Jefferson Davis was removed in 2015 after a shooting took place in South Carolina. Many statues that are related with the Confederates have been removed by a lot of educational institutions. The Confederates rebelled against the US government partially because the American government opposed the slavery. African Americans were owned as slaves in the southern states.
Violence in Charlottesville
A few weeks ago there was a lot of violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, because neo-Nazis and related groups opposed the removal of a statue of General Lee. A woman was killed and almost twenty people were injured when a car rushed into a crowd of people. Many people dislike the removal of the statues because they think that although it's a painful moment in the US history, this is part of southern culture and heritage.
Donald Trump on the monuments
US President, Donald Trump, believes that these monuments are beautiful and they will be missed. Anyway, there are people who believe these monuments are an offensive reminder of the past when slavery existed. They argue these statues are related to suffering and oppression. Slavery has been one of the most painful moments in the US history.
Jim Crow era
The monuments were erected during the Jim Crow years when racial discrimination and segregation were common in the US. These monuments are seen as a symbol of the oppression that the African Americans lived for many years. Many neo-Nazis use these monuments as a symbol of hate.
