AUSTIN, Texas — Some state lawmakers are pushing for a review of Confederate monuments at the State Capitol.
It all started when Rep. Eric Johnson, D-Dallas, noticed a plaque near his Capitol office. The plaque claims the Civil War wasn’t about slavery — a claim Johnson called out as a flat-out falsehood. Johnson wants the plaque gone and also wants a review of all Confederate markers on the Capitol grounds.
In a letter to the State Preservation Board, Johnson wrote, “My reasoning is simple: our Texas Capitol Complex should only honor those who exemplify the values that we extol as Texans.”
It wouldn’t be the first time lawmakers called Confederate monuments at the Capitol into question. Several lawmakers made a similar push for a monument review in 2015 following the shooting of nine black churchgoers in South Carolina.
NAACP Austin Branch President Nelson Linder says he hopes the violence and hate seen in Charlottesville over the weekend can push lawmakers to act this time around.
"It's time to take those things down. I call them terroristic symbols. Not just expressions, these are terroristic symbols,” Linder said.
But Republican Rep. James White, R-Hillister, says the issue is complex.
"[The monuments] were placed here to uphold, uplift, the honor of veterans," White said.
White is the descendant of a Confederate soldier — a slave who was freed during the war. While White says he'd like to work with Johnson, he also maintains removing the statues would be a dishonor to those who fought for Texas.
"Those men answered that call,” White said. “Some of which are African American. I think the history states that."
But Democratic Rep. Shawn Thierry, D-Houston, says the statues and plaques celebrate an ugly past and it's time to move on.
"You have to be able to make everyone feel welcome,” Thierry said. “And so when we go to public spaces like the Capitol, that is why I believe Rep. Johnson and so many others are saying these monuments have no place there."
Meanwhile, House Speaker Joe Straus says he'd like to work with Rep. Johnson to ensure all signage at the Capitol is accurate.
Gov. Abbott released a statement in regards to Johnson’s request. The governor’s spokesman asked it be used in full:
Racist and hate-filled violence — in any form — is never acceptable, and as governor I have acted to quell it. My goal as governor is to eliminate the racist and hate-filled environment we are seeing in our country today. But we must remember that our history isn't perfect. If we do not learn from our history, we are doomed to repeat it. Instead of trying to bury our past, we must learn from it and ensure it doesn’t happen again. Tearing down monuments won't erase our nation's past, and it doesn't advance our nation's future. As governor, I will advance that future through peace, not violence, and I will do all I can to keep our citizens safe.