Two confederate statues in Houston to be removed from public parks, placed in museum & historic site

The City of Houston plans to relocate two confederate statues that are currently in public parks.

Mayor Sylvester Turner announced on Thursday that the Dowling and Spirit of Confederacy statues are expected to be removed by Friday, June 19, in commemoration of the Juneteenth holiday.

Juneteenth celebrates the day slaves in Texas learned the Emancipation Proclamation granted their freedom.

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Turner’s announcement comes after other confederate statues have been damaged across the nation. Statues of Christopher Columbus have also been damaged in other states.

On Thursday morning, it was discovered that a statue of Columbus that is in display in Bell Park in Houston was vandalized with red paint and a sign that read “Rip the head from your oppressor.”

MORE: Christopher Columbus statue painted red at Houston park

Cherry Steinwender of the Center For The Healing Of Racism agrees the statues should be moved out of public spaces and says it’s not about trying to erase history, but to honor what our country stands for.

“Every time we see one of these statues, we are constantly reminded of it, but then we cannot go and talk to our white peers about it," Steinwender said. "We have to become unafraid of having these conversations because if we can do this, I really believe we can really move forward.”

A task force of historians, community leaders and department directors that Mayor Turner appointed in August 2017, recommended that the statues be removed from Houston public property and not be destroyed.

"While we have been working on a plan for some time, I have decided to move forward now considering the events of the past several weeks," Turner said. "Our plan for relocating confederate statues from public parks to locations more relevant to modern times preserves history and provides an opportunity for our city to heal.”

The Houston Endowment has provided a grant to transfer the Spirit of The Confederacy in Sam Houston Park downtown to be displayed at the Houston Museum of African American Culture in the Museum District.

“This is a huge step forward in the Museum’s history of hosting difficult conversations, underscoring our multicultural conversation on race geared toward a common future. We have an opportunity to learn from our history, the good and the bad, to truly forge one nation,” said John Guess, HMACC CEO Emeritus.

“Houston Endowment is proud to support the relocation of the Spirit of the Confederacy to the Houston Museum of African American Culture, where it can be interpreted in a way that promotes an inclusive and anti-racist community, said Ann Stern, President and CEO.

A statue of Richard W. "Dick" Dowling in Hermann Park is expected to be moved to a permanent display at the Sabine Pass Battleground State Historic Site in Port Arthur, TX.

The Executive Committee of the Texas Historical Commission voted to accept the statute and the full Commission will consider the item at its quarterly meeting on June 17.

The City of Houston's General Services Department will begin relocating the statues next week. The City will place them in temporary storage until the partner organizations are ready to receive them.