Jacksonville Confederate monument faced with a recent removal on December 27, after mayoral order. Overall, the monument in question is “Tribute to the Women of the Southern Confederacy”, previously located at the city’s Springfield park. This park housed the statue since 1915. Mayor Donna Deegan explained why it was necessary to remove the Confederate symbol.
Jacksonville Confederate Monument: Learning From History
Deegan said the decision to remove the memorial had no desire to purge history. The goal was to to demonstrate that people benefited from it. “Symbols matter. They tell the world what we stand for and what we aspire to be. By removing the confederate monument from Springfield Park, we signal a belief in our shared humanity. That we are all created equal. The same flesh and bones, and the same blood running through our veins. The same heart and soul”, Deegan said.
She also added: “This is not in any way an attempt to erase history but to show that we’ve learned from it. When we know better, we do better by and for each other. My prayer today is for our beautiful city to continue embracing unity and bending the arc of history towards justice. Let’s keep lifting as we climb”. Both detractors and admirers of the monument had the opportunity to witness the statue’s demolition by construction workers.
Up to $2 million seemed to be the first cost of its removal. Years of debate, beginning with Deegan’s predecessor in 2020, preceded the dismissal. That year, in June, Mayor Lenny Curry also issued an order to have a statue and plaque honouring Confederate soldiers taken down from a different public park. It occurred just a few weeks after Minneapolis police killed George Floyd, sparking national conversations about the history of Confederate monuments and equality rallies around the country.
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The Abuse of Power or Not?
According to a city statement, taking down Tribute to the Women of the Southern Confederacy cost $187,000. A loan and anonymous funds to the local organisation 904WARD provided funding for the project, which included the removal of a plaque. Florida Representative Dean Black, chair of the Republican Party of Duval County, criticized mayoral decision for removal.
Black called the monument’s removal “a stunning abuse of power”. He also said on X (former Twitter) : “This action, undertaken in the middle of the night, during the holidays, without consultation of city leaders or a vote by the council, is another in a long line of woke Democrats obsession with Cancel Culture and tearing down history”.
General attorney for Jacksonville, Michael Fackler, provided a statement outlining the mayor’s power as governor. “Our legal analysis finds that Mayor Deegan has the authority as executive of the City – and because city funds are not being utilized – to control the property, the park, and the monument”, he said. Until stakeholders and the city council decide what to do with it, the monument will be kept in city storage.
