SPLC Statement on Removal of Confederate Portraits from U.S. Capitol on Juneteenth

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Southern Poverty Law Center’s Lecia Brooks issued the following statement after portraits of Confederate leaders Robert Hunter, James Orr, Howell Cobb, and Charles Crisp were removed from the U.S. Capitol yesterday:
 
“History teaches us that these men, who represented the states of Georgia, South Carolina, and Virginia, advocated the dissolution of the Union so that they could continue the vile practice of chattel slavery. We are especially encouraged by the steps taken to remove their portraits on the eve of Juneteenth — the day that will forever commemorate the emancipation of Black people from enslavement.”
 
“May this be one of many steps taken by our elected leaders to dismantle the structures of white supremacy that still remain all across our country.”