160 Confederate Symbols Removed from Public Spaces in 2020, New Count Shows

Photo above: The vacant space is where the Robert E. Lee statue stood in Statuary Hall for the state of Virginia for 111 years. It is to be replaced a statue saluting Virginia’s Barbara Johns, a 16-year-old black girl who staged a strike in 1951 over unequal conditions at her segregated high school in Farmville.

Associated Press, February 23, 2021

At least 160 public Confederate symbols were taken down or moved from public spaces in 2020, according to a new count by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

The law center, which keeps a raw count of nearly 2,100 statues, symbols, placards, buildings and public parks dedicated to the Confederacy, will release the latest figures from its Whose Heritage? database on Tuesday. It has been tracking a movement to take down the monuments since 2015, when a white supremacist entered a South Carolina church and killed several black parishioners.

“These racist symbols only serve to uphold revisionist history and the belief that white supremacy remains morally acceptable,” said Lecia Brooks, SPLC chief of staff. “This is why we believe that all symbols of white supremacy should be removed from public spaces.”

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The SPLC says 704 Confederate monuments are still standing across the US. Taking some down may be difficult, particularly in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, where lawmakers have enacted policies protecting them.

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“Exposing children to anything that falsely promotes the idea of white superiority and black inferiority is dehumanizing,” said Brooks.

March 9th Meeting

There will be a meeting of the SW Florida Civil War Roundtable on Tuesday March 9, 2021 from 6:00-8:00 PM at Jack Bovee’s residence--19001 Cypress View Dr., Ft Myers, FL 33967. The purpose of the group is to share information related to the Civil War era and to promote and protect the heritage of this vital period of American history. This evening’s program, “Florida in the Civil War,” will be given by Lee Hadsock. There will also be a Jeopardy Quiz on civil war subjects and some prizes for the 'best scholars.'  There will also be an important update on current legislation to remove the state-designated holiday for Robert E. Lee in Tallahassee, and a draft letter for members' consideration.

For more information, contact Jack Bovee at 272-3508 or at email  jsbovee@aol.com.  (Those unable to attend this meeting, but are interested in future events should email Jack.  Information about the group may be obtained at: https://swflcivilwarroundtable.blogspot.com/  )

To access a GOOGLE MAPS View:       https://www.google.com/maps/@26.4623549,-81.7955231,237m/data=!3m1!1e3   

From the intersection of Alico Road and Three Oaks Parkway; 

1. go south on Three Oaks Parkway past Three Oaks Middle School and through the Traffic Light at the intersection of San Carlos Blvd. and the 7-11 Plaza.  

2. Take the first RIGHT turn onto Pine Chase Road and then the first LEFT onto Cypress Chase Ct. 

3. After turning onto Cypress Chase Ct. take an immediate left onto Cypress View Drive. 

4. Your destination will be the 2nd house on your right! 

From the intersection of Corkscrew Road and Three Oaks Parkway: 

1. go north on Three Oaks Parkway and go through the Traffic Light at the intersection with Estero Parkway.  

2. Continue north on Three Oaks Parkway, remaining in the Left Lane.

3. Turn LEFT onto Pine Chase Road just before the newly constructed Portofino Vineyard Apartments. 

4. Traveling north on Pine Chase Road you will take—following a wide curve on the roadway—the THIRD RIGHT onto what is Cypress Chase Court.

5. Take an immediate LEFT onto Cypress View Drive.  Your destination will be the 2nd home on the right!

SWFLCWRT Members Share Experiences!

 Recently, a small group of Civil War enthusiasts met to share news and information related to both this period of nineteenth-century history as well current events.  Two members, Lee Hadsock and Jim Clark, both long-time re-enactors of both the Seminole War and Civil War, brought in roughly a dozen workable percussion rifles, canteens, bullets, bayonets and other artifacts which they described and discussed. Jack Bovee brought in some authentic Confederate money--some of which were printed by the State of Florida during the conflict. Some of the pictures of these artifacts are below. For more details of the meeting, go the "minute's section" of this webpage.  

In the last photo, Lee Hadsock relates a re-enacting experience with Ross Barnett and others.