When it comes to the conversation around Monuments of oppression, there are a few obstacles that usually come into play.
To start, there's the Daughters of the Confederacy, the neo-Confederate association for female descendants of Confederate Civil War soldiers. They work all over the country to “preserve the legacy” of Confederate soldiers by actively fighting against any Confederate monument removal. Additionally, there are the white nationalist groups that, through misinformation and a lot of anger, block peaceful protests and legislative progress all over the country as well.
But in southern states in particular, a different kind of obstacle has proven to be quite difficult to overcome. I’m talking about specific laws and codes that get in the way of social progress.
Let’s take a look at Mississippi, for instance. Mississippi was the last state in the country to have the Confederate emblem on its flag. Mississippi state politicians have also had laws protecting Confederate monuments on the books since 1972. Structures, including the "War Between the States" Monument, are prohibited from being relocated, removed, or defiled by the Mississippi Code of 1972.
South Carolina is no different. Since 2000, the South Carolina Heritage Act has been cited as a way to protect Confederate monuments. The act was an amendment to a code of laws in 1976.
And now, recent news has come up about Florida proposing a bill that would Allow civilians to sue when Confederate monuments are damaged or removed, making it, if passed, one of the most detrimental pieces of legislation to the conversation around monuments of oppression.
Although there are a myriad of obstacles that come up when dealing with racial justice in southern states, there are still organizations and movements who are working twice as hard to get the job done on a grassroots and statewide level.
This month, the Monuments Toolkit headed down to Alabama to speak to two amazing women who are fighting back against these obstacles in their own unique ways.
The Monumental Project spoke with Camille Bennett of Project Say Something and Michelle Browder from the Mothers of Gynecology Monument. Enjoy!