The ACLU of Louisiana stands in full support of the 6-1 vote of the New Orleans City Council to remove statutes commemorating slavery, racism, and oppression. With this vote, New Orleans will no longer glorify the worst of our history, and can move forward on the path toward meaningful unity.
The statues of Confederate Generals Robert E. Lee and P.G.T. Beauregard, Confederacy President Jefferson Davis, and the statue honoring the so-called “Battle of Liberty Place,” have stood for more than a century in as statements of white supremacy and the oppression of African-American people. We applaud the council for recognizing the urgent need to remove these symbols from the city’s public spaces, and for their pledge to continue their work toward racial healing in New Orleans.