Racist Monument Tracker

Summary

The Racist Monument Tracker website is dedicated to monitoring the removal of monuments associated with racism, colonialism, and the Confederacy across the United States.

Abstract

The Racist Monument Tracker is a resource that provides updates on the removal of monuments which symbolize historical figures involved in racial oppression. As the nation confronts its racist legacy, there is a growing movement to dismantle these monuments, with some state governments taking action in cities like Dallas, Raleigh, and Richmond. Beyond official removals, citizens are also taking part in the removal of these statues, recognizing the significance of symbols in perpetuating or challenging systems of racial domination. The tracker compiles data from the Southern Poverty Law Center's (SPLC) Confederate symbols list, news research, and government records to document the status and relocation of these monuments.

Opinions

The statues, particularly those of the Confederacy, are seen as tools for reinforcing white supremacy, especially during the Reconstruction era, and are linked to the rise of the Ku Klux Klan.
There is an emphasis on the importance of understanding the historical context of when and why these statues were erected, as well as the significance of their removal.
The act of defacing or removing these monuments is viewed as a form of power renegotiation and a challenge to the legacy of racial oppression they represent.
The tracker's creator believes that symbols matter and that the removal of these monuments is a part of a larger conversation on racial equity and historical memory.

Keep a close eye on the removal of monuments to racists, colonizers, and Confederates

People watch as the Stonewall Jackson statue is removed from Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia on July 1, 2020. Photo: Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images

As the United States reckons with its history of racism, people across the country are calling for the removal of monuments that memorialize the historical figures who helped create or maintain systems of racial oppression. Some state governments have begun removing these monuments, like in Dallas, Raleigh, and Richmond. But many people are taking matters into their own hands and bringing down these stone celebrations themselves.

The people who want the monuments taken down understand that symbols matter. Some of these statues — like those dedicated to the Confederacy — were quite literally created to reinforce white dominance over the lives of non-white people.

“In the beginning years of the Reconstruction era, statues were meant to intimidate a burgeoning free Black class and Black middle class,” explains art curator Chaédria LaBouvier, the first Black woman to curate a solo exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City. “You see these statues rise right alongside the creation of the KKK. They go hand and hand.”

It’s important to understand why and when these statues were built. It is also important to understand why and when these monuments come down. As the stones fall, are defaced, or are officially relocated, we’ll track where they went (and when they went there) on our Racist Monument Tracker. The information contained therein is a combination of data supplied by the SPLC’s Confederate symbols list and old-fashioned news research, augmented by state and city government documentation.