SPLC Action Fund Statement On Passage Of Senate Bill 77

The following statement is from Heidi Beirich, Director of the Intelligence Project for SPLC Action Fund. 
 
"At a time when cities all over the country are actively removing Confederate symbols from public spaces, it is disappointing that some Georgia lawmakers are choosing to play politics with our history and promote divisiveness.
 
"We should not equate the heroes of the American Revolution with the traitors of the Confederacy. Monuments dedicated to those who fought to defend slavery belong in places like museums where they can be examined in their proper context, not in public spaces such as government land, schools or parks. Senate Bill 77 effectively dissolves the will of local communities who wish to remove symbols of white supremacy from the public square.
 
"If we want to strengthen Georgia’s future, we need to start by having an honest debate about our history and the need to commemorate the South’s real heroes."