House Votes to Remove Confederate Statues From U.S. Capitol

On Wednesday, the House of Representatives has passed bipartisan legislation to remove confederate statues from the U.S. Capitol – reasoning that “the memorials to white men who sought to keep African Americans enslaved should no longer be lauded in the halls of Congress,” explained Fox News. The vote was 305-113.

A Matter of History

Some members of the Congressional Black Caucus discussed the history of slavery and oppression in the U.S. It is a topic that has been in the spotlight since George Floyd’s death.

“Just imagine what it feels like as an African American to know that my ancestors built the Capitol, Rep. Karen Bass said. “But yet there are monuments to the very people that enslaved my ancestors,” she also stated. “These individuals do not deserve to be honored,” she then added.

Rep. Bennie Thompson also shared his opinion. He said it is “fitting and proper that those individuals who fought to keep many of our ancestors enslaved should not have to be recognized in a place where people who do good expect to be recognized.”

“This is not a way of erasing history. It is a way of correcting history,” Thompson also stated.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has previously rejected efforts to “airbrush the Capitol” and believes that the decision on statues should be up to the states, reported Fox News.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has already removed the four portraits of past House Speakers who served the Confederacy, saying this legislation “would target 12 statues of Confederate officials and four other statues honoring persons who similarly exemplified ‘bigotry and hate,’” according to Fox News.

“How can we seek to end the scourge of racism in America we allow the worst perpetrators of that racism to be lauded in the halls of Congress,” Pelosi said.

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