UT Austin To Move Jefferson Davis Statue To History Center

This Aug. 10, 2015. photo shows the Jefferson Davis statue in the South Mall of the University of Texas in Austin, Texas. A task force recommended Monday that the University of Texas should move a Jefferson Davis sta... This Aug. 10, 2015. photo shows the Jefferson Davis statue in the South Mall of the University of Texas in Austin, Texas. A task force recommended Monday that the University of Texas should move a Jefferson Davis statue elsewhere on campus, or at least add an explanatory plaque with historical context on why the president of the Confederacy was being honored with a bronze likeness. (Shelby Tauber/Austin American-Statesman via AP) MORE LESS
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University of Texas at Austin will relocate its controversial statue of Jefferson Davis, the Confederate president, to a campus educational exhibit, according to a statement Thursday from the university president.

In a letter to the UT community, President Gregory L. Fenves said the “best location” for the statues of Davis was the university’s Briscoe Center for American History.

Fenves appointed a task force in June, shortly after assuming office, to give options for the states of six statues. The task force recommended Monday to remove all statues of Confederate leaders or add plaques with historical context to each, the Texas Tribune reported.

“While every historical figure leaves a mixed legacy, I believe Jefferson Davis is in a separate category, and that it is not in the university’s best interest to continue commemorating him on our Main Mall,” according to the statement. “Davis had few ties to Texas; he played a unique role in the history of the American South that is best explained and understood through an educational exhibit.”

Davis’ statue was tagged with “Davis Must Fall” in April and “Black Lives Matter” in June, following the killing of nine black parishioners at the oldest African Methodist Episcopal church in the south by a white 21-year-old in Charleston, South Carolina.

The statue of former President Woodrow Wilson will be moved to “an appropriate exterior location on campus,” according to the statement.

Fenves said he will consider adding a plaque to “provide context” to the statue of Robert E. Lee, the commander of the Confederate Army.

Statues of James Stephen Hogg, Albert Sidney Johnston and John Reagan will remain in their current locations.

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