After weeks of legal and logistical wrangling, a statue of Confederate leader Robert E. Lee that had been in Dallas' Oak Lawn neighborhood for 81 years, was removed Thursday night. Meanwhile, State Rep. Eric Johnson (D-Dallas) will meet with Gov. Greg Abbott to discuss removing or altering Confederate monuments and plaques on the Capitol grounds.
A dozen monuments to the Confederacy, including statues, plaques and seals, are on the Capitol grounds. Johnson has specifically requested removal of a plaque near his Capitol office that claims the Civil War was not fought over slavery. The plaque was installed in 1959 and was funded by a group of children of Confederate veterans. Johnson says the plaque is not only offensive, but is also historically inaccurate, because Texas did cite slavery as part of its reason for seceding from the U.S. at the time of the Civil War.Dallas Morning News Reporter Lauren McGaughy says Abbott's decision to meet with Johnson is noteworthy. The governor did not grant a previous request to meet with former state Sen. Rodney Ellis about Confederate monuments.
Written by Shelly Brisbin.
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