Task force says Confederate monuments should stay at Capitol, but urges new memorials for African Americans
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- A task force appointed by North Carolina's governor is recommending against relocating three Confederate monuments from the State Capitol but also urges adding plaques and memorials honoring African-Americans.
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In three resolutions passed at a special meeting on Wednesday morning, the five-member Task Force roundly criticized the legacy of the Confederacy and blasted the movement's stances on race and slavery.
Members also blasted the circumstances that led to the dedication of the three monuments on the Capitol grounds: a tall obelisk of the Confederate Soldiers Monument outside the State Capitol was dedicated in 1895 while the Monument to the Women of the Confederacy was dedicated in 1914.
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A third statue outside the Capitol, a memorial to Henry Lawson Wyatt, was dedicated in 1912. A native of Edgecombe County, Wyatt is purported to be the first Confederate Soldier killed in action.
Still, Ruffin said, members felt they were limited by a law passed by the Republican-led General Assembly which requires state approval for relocating any monuments.
The resolutions were later adopted by the full 11-member Historical Commission. All commissioners serve six-year terms and are nominated by the governor (four current members were nominated by Cooper, seven by former Gov. Pat McCrory).
