Protesters Target Statues Linked to Slavery
2020-06-12
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1The death of African American George Floyd while being arrested by four Minneapolis police officers set off protests and some violence across the United States.
2Some protesters have now turned to bringing down symbols of the Confederacy and slavery.
3On Wednesday night, protesters brought down a statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis in Richmond, Virginia.
4About 130 kilometers away in Portsmouth, Virginia, another group of protesters pulled down four statues that were part of a Confederate monument.
5A day earlier, protesters in Richmond tore down a statue of Christopher Columbus, set it on fire and threw it into a lake.
6Around the world, protesters wanted to bring down monuments to people linked to slavery and colonialism.
7They include Christopher Columbus, Cecil Rhodes and Belgium's King Leopold II.
8Richmond was the capital of the Confederacy.
9It is where Jefferson Davis led 11 southern, slave-holding states against the north during the American Civil War.
10After four years of bitter fighting, the Confederate states surrendered and re-joined the union.
11The United States approved an amendment to the Constitution in 1865 that legally ended slavery across the country.
12City leaders were planning to remove the bronze statue of Davis in a few weeks.
13But demonstrators chose to bring it down Wednesday night.
14A crowd cheered and police looked on.
15There were no immediate reports of any arrests.
16The Davis statue was not far away from a much larger monument of General Robert E. Lee, the military leader of the Confederates.
17Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, a Democrat, last week ordered its removal, but a judge on Monday blocked any action for at least 10 days.
18Confederate statues and monuments like those of Davis' and Lee's were not built immediately after the Civil War. Many were built at the turn of the 20th century and in the 1950s.
19The Southern Poverty Law Center listed over 700 such monuments across 31 states.
20People who want Confederate monuments to remain have argued that they are important reminders of history.
21A spokesman for the Sons of Confederate Veterans in Virginia called the statues "public works of art" and likened losing the Confederate statues to losing a family member.
22B. Frank Earnest said, "The men who served under Robert E. Lee were my great-grandfathers or their brothers and their cousins. So it is my family."
23Davis' statue was brought down on the same day NASCAR, a car racing organization, banned Confederate flags at its races.
24The flag was a common sight at the races where fans young and old proudly displayed them.
25Bubba Wallace, the only African American driver in NASCAR brought attention to the issue this week.
26He called for the ban saying, there was "no place" for the flag in the sport.
27NASCAR said, "Bringing people together around a love for racing and the community that it creates is what makes our fans and sport special.
28The display of the Confederate flag will be prohibited from all NASCAR events and properties."
29The decision brought protests from Ray Ciccarelli, who wrote on Facebook: "I could care less about the Confederate Flag but there are ppl [people] that do and it doesn't make them a racist."
30In Washington, DC, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi demanded Wednesday that statues of Confederate officials such as Jefferson Davis be removed from the U.S. Capitol.
31Pelosi, a leader in the Democratic Party, cannot order the removal of the 11 statues.
32She is urging the Joint Committee on the Library to vote to remove them. The Republican-controlled Senate also have a say in the matter.
33Meanwhile, President Donald Trump announced that his administration will "not even consider" changing the name of any of the 10 Army bases named after Confederate Army officers.
34Two days earlier, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said that he was open to a discussion of such changes.
35The bases are named for Confederate Army officers, including Robert E. Lee and Henry L. Benning.
36The naming was done mostly after World War I and in the 1940s.
37Trump wrote, "These Monumental and very Powerful Bases have become part of a Great American Heritage, a history of Winning, Victory, and Freedom."
38I'm Jonathan Evans.
1The death of African American George Floyd while being arrested by four Minneapolis police officers set off protests and some violence across the United States. Some protesters have now turned to bringing down symbols of the Confederacy and slavery. 2On Wednesday night, protesters brought down a statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis in Richmond, Virginia. About 130 kilometers away in Portsmouth, Virginia, another group of protesters pulled down four statues that were part of a Confederate monument. A day earlier, protesters in Richmond tore down a statue of Christopher Columbus, set it on fire and threw it into a lake. 3Around the world, protesters wanted to bring down monuments to people linked to slavery and colonialism. They include Christopher Columbus, Cecil Rhodes and Belgium's King Leopold II. 4Confederate symbols 5Richmond was the capital of the Confederacy. It is where Jefferson Davis led 11 southern, slave-holding states against the north during the American Civil War. After four years of bitter fighting, the Confederate states surrendered and re-joined the union. The United States approved an amendment to the Constitution in 1865 that legally ended slavery across the country. 6City leaders were planning to remove the bronze statue of Davis in a few weeks. But demonstrators chose to bring it down Wednesday night. A crowd cheered and police looked on. There were no immediate reports of any arrests. 7The Davis statue was not far away from a much larger monument of General Robert E. Lee, the military leader of the Confederates. Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, a Democrat, last week ordered its removal, but a judge on Monday blocked any action for at least 10 days. 8Confederate statues and monuments like those of Davis' and Lee's were not built immediately after the Civil War. Many were built at the turn of the 20th century and in the 1950s. The Southern Poverty Law Center listed over 700 such monuments across 31 states. 9People who want Confederate monuments to remain have argued that they are important reminders of history. A spokesman for the Sons of Confederate Veterans in Virginia called the statues "public works of art" and likened losing the Confederate statues to losing a family member. 10B. Frank Earnest said, "The men who served under Robert E. Lee were my great-grandfathers or their brothers and their cousins. So it is my family." 11NASCAR banning Confederate flags 12Davis' statue was brought down on the same day NASCAR, a car racing organization, banned Confederate flags at its races. The flag was a common sight at the races where fans young and old proudly displayed them. 13Bubba Wallace, the only African American driver in NASCAR brought attention to the issue this week. He called for the ban saying, there was "no place" for the flag in the sport. 14NASCAR said, "Bringing people together around a love for racing and the community that it creates is what makes our fans and sport special. The display of the Confederate flag will be prohibited from all NASCAR events and properties." 15The decision brought protests from Ray Ciccarelli, who wrote on Facebook: "I could care less about the Confederate Flag but there are ppl [people] that do and it doesn't make them a racist." 16More politics 17In Washington, DC, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi demanded Wednesday that statues of Confederate officials such as Jefferson Davis be removed from the U.S. Capitol. 18Pelosi, a leader in the Democratic Party, cannot order the removal of the 11 statues. She is urging the Joint Committee on the Library to vote to remove them. The Republican-controlled Senate also have a say in the matter. 19Meanwhile, President Donald Trump announced that his administration will "not even consider" changing the name of any of the 10 Army bases named after Confederate Army officers. 20Two days earlier, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said that he was open to a discussion of such changes. The bases are named for Confederate Army officers, including Robert E. Lee and Henry L. Benning. The naming was done mostly after World War I and in the 1940s. 21Trump wrote, "These Monumental and very Powerful Bases have become part of a Great American Heritage, a history of Winning, Victory, and Freedom." 22I'm Jonathan Evans. 23Hai Do wrote this story for VOA Learning English based on Associated Press reports. Mario Ritter Jr. was the editor. 24________________________________________________________________ 25Words in This Story 26symbol -n. an object, action or figure that represents an idea 27monument - n. a building, statue, etc., that honors a person or event 28bronze - n. a metal that is made by combining copper and tin 29bitter - adj. causing painful emotions 30prohibit - v. to order (someone) not to use or do something 31display - v. to put (something) where people can see it