University of Texas Removes Confederate Monuments

The University of Texas has begun removing four Confederate-era statues from a main area of campus because the monuments “represent the subjugation of African Americans.” University of Texas President Greg Fenves announced the move late Sunday night, saying the monuments have become “symbols of modern white supremacy and neo-Nazism.” Crews were in place Sunday night to dismantle the statues, and they were expected to be gone by Monday morning. Fenves linked his decision to the “horrific displays of hatred at the University of Virginia and in Charlottesville” last week, which he said prompted him to reconsider a 2015 initiative to move the controversial statues. Statues of Gen. Robert E. Lee, Confederate Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston, and Confederate Postmaster General John H. Reagan will be moved to a history museum. “We do not choose our history, but we choose what we honor and celebrate on our campus,” he said.