In the wake of a national conversation on confederate symbols, which led South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley to announce Monday that the confederate flag would be taken down from the state Capitol building, some are bringing attention to the confederate symbols still standing here in Austin.
The president of University of Texas at Austin, Greg Fenves, met Monday with student leaders who are demanding a statue of Jefferson Davis be removed from the school's campus. Davis owned dozens of slaves and was president of the Confederacy during the Civil War.
"We just believe the statue represents a history of racism and intolerance, and it has no place on this campus, which is a beacon of bringing all different kinds of people together and promoting diversity," says Taral Patel, chief of staff for the UT Student Government.
An online petition for removal of the statue has racked up more than 1,500 signatures since it was posted Sunday afternoon on change.org.
"It feels very degrading to us, and unwelcoming. And I think that if we pay the same amount of tuition as everybody else, we have the right to feel as welcome as everybody else does," says Abigail Haile, an African American UT undergrad who signed the petition.
A university spokesperson says Fenves takes the issue seriously and has been gathering information on it since he took office about two weeks ago.
"The student and university leaders will work collaboratively to continue gathering all of the information and perspectives needed to make a decision about the statue," spokesperson Gary Susswein said via email.
As for next steps, Susswein says the office will make an announcement, though not a final decision, later this week.
Poster Comment:
The time has come to purge the neo-Confederate bigots from our society.
