Confederate Monument to be Removed from University of Louisville After 120 Years

After years of debates, the University of Louisville in Kentucky made the decision Friday to remove a Confederate monument from the spot it has held near campus since 1895.

The stone monument, which had been erected to honor the Kentucky soldiers who fought and died for the Confederacy during the Civil War, subsequently will be moved to a different location, according to the Associated Press. Capping the monument stood a statue of a Confederate soldier, as well.

James Ramsey, the university's president, made the announcement Friday alongside Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer.

Confederate Monument Coming Down in Kentucky https://t.co/VIUzeDBIBu pic.twitter.com/Fh4mvalQ7F

— Newser (@Newser) May 1, 2016

"It's time for us to move this monument to a more appropriate place," Ramsey said, adding that the monument would be cleaned and disassembled before being removed to its new location which has yet to be determined, according to the AP. "We have a responsibility to our students to provide a world class education committed to the values we hold dear."

Fischer added, "The stain of slavery and racism that this monument represents for many people has no place in a compassionate forward-looking city," according to WDRB-TV.

After the racially-motivated shooting that occurred last summer at the Emanuel AME church in Charleston, South Carolina, many states and institutions have been reconsidering the appropriateness of displaying Confederate symbols and monuments.

"I can't tell you how happy I am," said Ricky Jones, a professor of Pan-African studies at the University of Louisville, adding that he had been advocating for the monument's removal since the 1990s. "I think this statue being on the campus is somewhat akin to flying the Confederate flag over the [university's] administration building."

Student Caitlin Edwards said that although the statue always made her think of "slavery" and the "blood, the sweat and the tears of my ancestors," she had not minded walking past the monument itself.

"You walk by it so many times you don't even pay attention to it anymore," Edwards said, according to WDRB. "You get used to seeing it...In a way that is sad."

Edwards added, "It's not going to eliminate racism, of course, but it's a great step in the right direction."

Proud that this enormous Confederate monument is coming down at the University of Louisville. Long overdue. pic.twitter.com/Q2tfMqhi5P

— Shaun King (@ShaunKing) May 1, 2016

Kentucky Confederate monument to be removed after 120 years https://t.co/EN97ffgTPr is so damn Stupid as hell,stop erasing our History

— DARLENE FLOYD (@DARLENEFLOYD15) May 1, 2016

Glad to see Confederate monument moved from its prominent, publicly-maintained space & remember this past elsewhere. pic.twitter.com/UhBp4w6Hur

— Bill Hollander (@BillHollander) April 29, 2016

(H/T: Fox News)

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