Ole Miss students vote to move Confederate statue from center of campus to new location

A Confederate statue that was a bone of contention on the University of Mississippi campus will now be taken down and moved after the school’s student government unanimously voted for its new placement, NBC News reports.

In the weeks leading up to the decision to take down the statue of a Confederate soldier from the center of their campus, a rally was held in support of the statute. However, many students were against the symbol, saying that it represented racism and hate.

—Illinois post office in talks to rename branch after Tuskegee Airmen pilot—

On Tuesday, the members of the Associated Student Body Senate voted 47-0 in favor of its removal, thanks to a resolution written by students asking that the Confederate statue is moved to an on-campus cemetery where Confederate soldiers are buried. The vote was met with applause and jubilation from some in attendance.

“I started crying when I knew we had the majority vote,” said Leah Davis, a black psychology major from Tupelo, Mississippi, who helped write the resolution. “It was really powerful to me the fact that the senate voted unanimously.”

“We’re setting up meetings right now with university leaders to understand the next steps from here,” said student body president Elam Miller.

“The way it’s outlined is sort of gray.”

—Hakeem Jeffries delivers a lesson in diversity with new senior leadership—

“Oh, the statue sucks. I don’t even know why anybody would have that up here. That’s like, so insulting,” student Serenity Griffin said.

Some students however don’t think it should be erected at all.

“It’s been a part of the University for several generations at this point. I feel like it should continue to be part of the university,” student Jacob Rabren said.

In 1906, the statue was donated by the United Daughters of the Confederacy.

The university sent out an email in support of the resolution:

“University leadership is aware of the resolution. We commend our students for using the democratic process to engage debate of topics that impact our community.”

The post Ole Miss students vote to move Confederate statue from center of campus to new location appeared first on theGrio.

from theGrio https://ift.tt/2HiFJ6c