MONTGOMERY, Alabama — Today, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) vehemently condemns the continued efforts by the Trump administration to whitewash Black history and uplift the vile history of the Confederacy. With the planned reinstallation of Confederate Gen. Albert Pike statue in Washington D.C., the controversial monument attempts to minimize the racist impact of the failed insurrection and honor its leaders despite their defense of the savage institution of chattel slavery and white supremacy.
“Confederate leaders are not figures to be celebrated or idolized. They should be remembered as defenders of slavery and white supremacy whose primary goal was to destroy our democracy,” said Rivka Maizlish, senior research analyst, SPLC’s Intelligence Project. “In 2020, activists sought to right the wrong by removing the statue. They continue the legacy of abolitionists and civil rights martyrs who aimed to make our nation a democracy for all Americans. The continued mission of the Trump administration is to erase history and burry past struggles for liberation. The Pike statue should remain down and be replaced with a historical figure who fought for justice and equality, not slavery and white supremacy.”
In April, the Southern Poverty Law Center released the 4th edition of the Whose Heritage Report, which tracks public symbols of the Confederacy across the United States. In addition to providing historical context about Confederate symbols, the report address challenges under the second Trump administration, and points to a Southern heritage that all Americans can embrace, instead of honoring traitors and white supremacists.
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About the Southern Poverty Law Center
The Southern Poverty Law Center is a catalyst for racial justice in the South and beyond, working in partnership with communities to dismantle white supremacy, strengthen intersectional movements, and advance the human rights of all people. For more information, visit www.splcenter.org.