Thread by @therecount

During a summer of protests, we saw a resurgence in the movement to remove Confederate statues from the pedestals on which they stand.

In honor of #BlackHistoryMonth, let’s take a look at where those efforts stand today:

Georgia state Rep. Al Williams filed a resolution to replace the U.S Capitol statue of Confederate VP Alexander H. Stephens with a statue honoring the late civil right icon Rep. John Lewis.

A swap has yet to be made.

In December 2020, a Robert E. Lee statue representing Virginia was removed from the U.S. Capitol.

A VA state commission recommended a statue of civil rights activist Barbara Rose Johns replace it. The VA General Assembly has not yet approved the project.

In 2016, Florida state lawmakers voted to remove the statue of (Florida Man) Edmund Kirby Smith in the Capitol’s Statuary Hall — and replace him with civil rights advocate and educator Mary McLeod Bethune.

Five years later, this switch has not yet happened.

Many statues, like this infamous tribute to Robert E. Lee in Richmond, VA, have been overtaken — covered in graffiti with messages that contradict those of the man in metal: Black Lives Matter.

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, 59 Confederate symbols across the South have been removed, renamed, or relocated from public spaces since George Floyd’s death last May.

Too many memorials still stand — and that’s where @ColorOfChange's Pedestal Project comes in.

Using VR technology, this project reimagines who we honor in public places. Check it out: thepedestalproject.com