Let’s stop pretending. Confederate monuments were never about “remembering history.” They were built to remind Black people exactly who was in charge — and to glorify the people who fought to keep us enslaved. They’re not just stone and bronze. They’re warnings. They’re threats. And they’ve been allowed to stand for far too long.
Every April, states including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi and Texas double down with “Confederate Heritage Month”— a tradition rooted in whitewashed lies. These monuments and holidays don’t honor “Southern heritage.” They honor white supremacy. And we’re calling it out.
In Episode 2 of the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Apathy is Not an Option podcast, host Alexandria Beightol explores how these symbols of hate got here, why they’re still standing and what it looks like when young people refuse to be silenced by stone.
It’s about power
“These weren’t innocent memorials,” said Rivka Maizlish, a historian and senior research analyst for the SPLC’s Intelligence Project. “Former Confederates erected memorials as part of a propaganda campaign to erase the memory of the Civil War as a struggle between slavery and freedom.”
That campaign worked.
The SPLC’s Whose Heritage? report has documented over 2,000 Confederate symbols across the U.S. — outside courthouses, in schoolyards and public squares. They often appeared in places with a history of racial violence, including lynchings.
“This isn’t just about statues,” Maizlish adds. “It’s about how history is used to justify oppression in the present.”
Young leaders are done waiting
In Montgomery, Alabama, high school senior Jeremiah Treece is leading a campaign to remove Confederate imagery from the city flag. “We want to make this city beautiful for everybody,” he said. “We have to make sure that our symbols align with that.”
Treece launched a petition and is using social media to rally support for a flag that reflects the city’s diverse history, not its Confederate past.
In Georgia, Parker Short is taking on Stone Mountain, the largest Confederate monument in the U.S. “It’s 3,200 acres devoted to the oppression of Black people,” he said. “It’s a monument to some of the most disgusting parts of American and Georgia history.”
Parker’s viral campaign exposes the monument’s white supremacist legacy and ties to the Ku Klux Klan. “I wanted people to understand what it really represents,” he said. “Because once you know the truth, you can’t unsee it.”
Reflecting today’s communities
“As our values evolve, so should our monuments,” said Seth Levi, SPLC chief strategy officer. “Why should we be stuck with statues that don’t reflect who we are today?”
These monuments were built to silence us. But we’re still here. Still loud. And together, we fight.
🎧 Listen to Episode 2 now: “Whose Heritage is it?”
Take action
- Support local organizers: Sign and share Jeremiah’s petition.
- Find the symbols in your community: Use the SPLC’s Whose Heritage? map.
- Amplify the movement: Share the episode. Post about it. Spread the truth.
Cassandra Douglas is the digital director for the Southern Poverty Law Center and executive producer of the SPLC’s Apathy is Not an Option podcast.
Image at top: Episode 2 of the SPLC’s Apathy is Not an Option podcast includes conversations with student activists Parker Short (left) and Jeremiah Treece, along with Seth Levi, SPLC chief strategy officer. (Credit: SPLC)