Someone here asked when the Southern schools, monuments, were created:

[dixiegrrrrl]

Juanita Jean site has the explanation and a handy chart.

A graphic published by the Southern Poverty Law Center is telling – it documents when Confederate monuments were built around the country.

Interestingly, there are two spikes in the placement of monuments; the Jim Crow era and the civil rights era. Confederate named schools were especially popular during the time of the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act. One can draw only one conclusion here – these monuments were erected to “honor our heritage”, they were erected in a fleeting attempt to hang on to a by gone era where whites held dominion over African Americans.

http://juanitajean.com/heritage-no-white-supremacy/

[underpants]

1. Strange days in Richmond

At the beginning of last school a neighboring county dumped the name Harry Byrd (unapologetic racist) for a middle school. The new name is the road it's on. The whole ball got rolling with an online petition started by a high school student.

Recently elected Mayor Stoney (sharp guy) of Richmond set up a panel to review adding context (facts) to the much cherished monuments on Monument Avenue. Yesterday he came out and said "Let's consider taking them down". Holy cripes this is going to get ugly. That is PURE OOOOLD Richmond. The Sons of Confederate Veterans and their kind are flipping out.

[dixiegrrrrl]

4. Couple of things....

Our local historian writes a weekly column in the county paper. He mentioned that Byrd, among other names, had big plantations in our area. I know that a considerable number of rich guys moved from state to state chasing good cotton lands, would not surprise me if Harry Byrd's family landed here at some point.

Oooold...god yes....such a remnant of old customs, where family names were so important, and retroactive glory could be attached to the family tree.
Progress is much unwanted down here, up there.

[KT2000]

2. the Mayor of Birmingham

made the point that Birmingham did not even exist during the Civil War. He has had the Confederate statue there covered up and some are suing over it.

[ehrnst]

3. They were erected to send a message

to anyone who wasn't white, or wanted to "cause trouble" by advocating for anyone who wasn't white.