Why Dallas' Decision to Remove Confederate Monuments Made Me Proud

Born and raised in Dallas, living here most of my life, I never thought I'd see the day that the Robert E. Lee statue and other towering tributes that hold the Confederacy in such high regard removed from this city.They've been here as long as I can remember - towering monuments in parks, names emblazoned on schools and street signs throughout the city.I remember my parents emotionally explaining my family's connection to these leaders. These Confederate leaders were on the side of the Civil War that fought to keep my ancestors in slavery, worked them, beat and raped them, treated them as less than humans. It sickened me then - as it does now - that people could have that much hate for others. It's painful to think about the indignities inflicted upon a whole race of people solely based on the color of their skin.These tributes are reminders that some folks in this city revered symbols of white superiority - that they believe it's OK to celebrate that racist cause. These monuments mean something. Just like the Confederate flag.That's why the Dallas City Council's historic near-unanimous decision on Thursday that these monuments don't belong in public places was such a big deal. It's why I rejoiced when U.S. Judge Sidney Fitzwater dissolved a last-ditch temporary restraining order to stop the 81-year-old Lee statue from coming down.  Continue reading...