Forgiveness? Sure. I hold no hatred for the individual soldiers that did nothing more than serve. This was too long ago for malice on an individual level.

 

That's not the same as my opinion that monuments which directly or indirectly honor the cause to which their leaders were dedicated should not still be broadcasting that message in public space.

 

Then anything with Byrd's name on it should come down as well, correct?

Interesting -- do you have a link, @bballfamily?

 

You can go to ilj.com or the federalist.com. The The Federalist site has a graph of the poll.

Then anything with Byrd's name on it should come down as well, correct?

 

Byrd was a member of the Klan. By 1970 he renounced the group, renounced racial division, and was publicly advocating for civil rights legislation in the senate. He's a story of coming around to the right side of history.

 

Statues glorifying the Confederacy do not do the same thing.

Byrd was a member of the Klan. By 1970 he renounced the group, renounced racial division, and was publicly advocating for civil rights legislation in the senate. He's a story of coming around to the right side of history.

 

Statues glorifying the Confederacy do not do the same thing.

 

Was he only doing it for votes or did he genuinely care? The thing is no one knows but him. I dont see how hatred can be changed that much, especially in the time he was in.

My question is quite simple, why has this not been a priority for most until now?

 

After white supremacist Dylann Roof killed 9 African Americans in a church in Charleston in June of 2015, wide discussion began to surface related to what the Confederate flag symbolized to various people, and with additional discussion fronted by the BLM movement, voices like never before started giving a much closer look as to why this symbol is acceptable in public places considering what it represented, and along with it the discussion also included these monuments.

 

As time had gone by previously I suppose most, and especially white people, took these symbols for granted and didn't give them much thought, but black folks all along I'm sure felt sour about them and with good reason, but didn't much until the BLM movement feel they had much power in their individual singular voices to say or do much about it.

 

Through the BLM movement, and rightfully so, the discussion has gained steam and we today, all Americans no matter what color, are now discussing it and thinking more into it than we ever allowed ourselves to.

 

As a reaction to this discussion, and the (correct IMO) decisions to remove these flags and monuments, those on the side of the discussion who resent this are of the mindset that they're not going to stand for it because to them it represents their heritage, and have begun organizing and uniting to speak out against the removal.

 

And now here we are today with the discussion in great focus on the minds of everyone, with many people giving closer thought to it than ever before, with folks residing on both sides of the argument speaking their minds.

 

As often does happen with social change, or the push for change also comes friction considering those who want the change, and those who resist it.

 

Considering all that I have presented here, I'm guessing, though I could be wrong, is the bulk of the answer to your question of "Why Now"?

It seems a lot is similar to french revolution.

Was he only doing it for votes or did he genuinely care? The thing is no one knows but him. I dont see how hatred can be changed that much, especially in the time he was in.

 

I know one of my good friends had a grandmother who was a lifelong bigot...and then he started dating and eventually married an African American woman. From all reports it changed grandma's perspective on things an awful lot.

I used to live/work in Atlanta. I remember going to Stone Mountain one night with a group of neighbors for a picnic and the laser show. I thought it was a lot of fun.

 

Later that year as I helped organize the annual work picnic – I suggested to have it at Stone Mountain. I’ll never forget the looks of disgust by my black co-workers. In that single moment I was educated about why these monuments and statues should come down. To this day, I’m still embarrassed for my ignorance.

I guess Mount Rushmore should be next right?

I'm curious.

 

For those that are adamant that the statues need to come down, is the removal of statues limited just to Confederate statues or does it carry over to other areas as well?

 

Should those that were say outspoken against homosexuality have any monuments or statues removed?

I'm curious.

 

For those that are adamant that the statues need to come down, is the removal of statues limited just to Confederate statues or does it carry over to other areas as well?

 

Should those that were say outspoken against homosexuality have any monuments or statues removed?

This is where I'm at. I get it why people want them removed. And personally I think any statue or monument that glorifies what the confederacy did should probably be removed. But where does stop? What's next. George Washington owned slaves and was a complete racist. Yet we glorify him on our money, a mountain, a monument in DC, and generally recognize him as one of the greatest Americans ever.

I guess Mount Rushmore should be next right?

 

According to some, yes.

Do we remove all of this from history books too?

Do we remove all of this from history books too?

 

Yes just stop teaching history in schools and burn all books

I'm curious.

 

For those that are adamant that the statues need to come down, is the removal of statues limited just to Confederate statues or does it carry over to other areas as well?

 

Should those that were say outspoken against homosexuality have any monuments or statues removed?

 

For me, this is strictly about the Confederacy, but I'll grant that it's perfectly legitimate to question others on a case-by-case basis.