Student group who pushed for Confederate memorial removal says it’s only the 1st step

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Days after crews removed a 110-year-old Confederate memorial in downtown Decatur Square, the students behind the push were honored.

The Beacon Hill Black Alliance for Human Rights saluted current and past students of Decatur High School Black Union on Sunday. They said their three year mission to remove the memorial was worth the fight.

“Taking it down isn’t going to end racism, it’s not going to fix police behavior, it’s not going to be any type of reform that we need but it’s a step. No matter how small or big it is, it’s something that has to happen,” said one of the students.

The students had been working for the statue's removal since 2017.

“Something that a lot of people say nowadays is that America is not racist anymore, you know. It’s all behind us. But then you see things like a Confederate monument in the middle of a square or see the police brutality that’s been going on, and it’s little stuff like that reminds us it’s very much still here,” another student said.

A DeKalb County judge ordered the statue be removed by midnight June 26 and placed in storage indefinitely.

We were there when many celebrated as it was removed the night of June 18.

“Being able to make that change was really empowering and I feel really honored that I was able to do something this big,” a student said.

It’s unclear if something else will be placed at the memorial’s former site.

Georgia bill looks to ban Confederate monuments from public property House Bill 1212 would ban Confederate monuments from public property except in Civil War battlefields and museums.

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