SPLC Action Fund Applauds House Vote Removing Confederate Symbols from U.S. Capitol; Urges Senate to Follow Suit

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the House passed HR 3005, 285-120, requiring removal of the Roger Taney bust and every statue of individuals “who voluntarily served the Confederate States of America” from display in the Capitol. The House previously passed this legislation in July 2020, 305-113, but it was blocked in the Senate.

SPLC Action Fund Chief of Staff Lecia Brooks issued the following statement in response:

“The SPLC applauds the U.S. House of Representatives for passing legislation to remove items that glorify hate. This includes removing statues of men who voluntarily fought on behalf of the Confederacy* and three elected officials who were slavery apologists. This bill also replaces the bust of Roger Taney, author of the infamous Dred Scott decision in 1857, which held that African Americans were not citizens of the United States and that Congress did not have the authority to prohibit slavery.

“Replacing Taney with a new Thurgood Marshall bust in the National Statuary Hall that commemorates the first Black U.S. Supreme Court Justice is not only appropriate, but a long overdue honor. Justice Marshall is a true icon and someone that all Americans can take pride in being represented by.

“We urge the Senate to pass HR 3005 and for President Biden to promptly sign this legislation so that the offensive statues located in the National Statuary Hall Collection can immediately be returned to their home states.”

###

*There are seven statues glorifying the Confederacy in the U.S. Capitol.

In 2018, the SPLC released an updated version of its Whose Heritage? report, identifying nearly 1,800 Confederate monuments and statues, plaques, markers, government buildings, schools, parks, counties, cities, military property, streets and highways and other symbols named after anyone associated with the Confederacy located in public spaces across the South and the nation.