ADL Applauds President Fenves’ Decision to Remove Confederate Statues from University of Texas Campus

In 2015, three statues at the University of Texas at Austin that commemorate Confederate leaders were vandalized just hours after the school's president met with student leaders to discuss whether they should be taken down. PHOTO: Longview News-Journal

22 August 2017

ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE — The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) applauds University of Texas at Austin President Greg Fenves’ decision to remove and relocate several confederate monuments from the University of Texas at Austin campus earlier this week. ADL commends the University for going through a thoughtful process in making the determination to remove and relocate the monuments.

Rachel Bresner, ADL Jean & Jerry Moore Southwest Civil Rights Counsel, issued the following statement:

We acknowledge that symbols of the Confederacy bring pain to many, particularly in the African-American community and we commend the efforts taken by the University to reconsider the statues and monuments on its campus and the decision to remove and relocate several Confederate statutes.

In 2015, President Fenves formed a task force of faculty, students, alumni and university leaders to evaluate six statues of Confederate leaders on campus and consider several alternatives to removal. Following last week’s rally in Charlottesville, VA and the violence and hatred on display, President Fenves’ efforts and decision to remove and relocate the monuments demonstrate a commitment to unifying the students and campus community.

ADL encourages any leaders currently considering the removal of Confederate symbols to look to New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s speech on this subject for inspiration, and Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh’s approach as a model.

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