HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — It's been more than a month since both Madison County and Huntsville city leaders voted to remove the Confederate monument at the County Courthouse. However, the statue still stands.
On Wednesday several organizations including the Rosa Parks Day Committee, Tennessee Valley Progressive Alliance, and the Coalition for Justice Through Civic Engagement, rallied together to get one message across, and that is to 'Move the Monument'.
"Anything that symbolizes or celebrates the Confederacy, is something that is antithetical to what it means to be American," says David Person, Rosa Parks Day Committee.
Some people marched outside the Madison County Courthouse. Other people waited inside to publicly speak to county commissioners about removing the Confederate statue quickly.
On June 10th, the Madison County Commission unanimously approved a resolution to seek permission from the state to remove the monument.
However, here's the problem. The Memorial Preservation Act of 2017 makes it illegal for one to be taken down if it's 40 years and older.
Commissioners say the 'Monument Protection Committee' has not met and acted on the commission's request yet. Some folks believe it's more than just the time it's taking to remove the statue.
"I think the principle is not the time that it's taking, but the fact that they don't understand that they can't put themselves in a stance of feeling empathy for those who are crying out," says Remus Bowden.
Recently, the city of Mobile paid a fine of $25,000 to the state to move their Confederate statue to a museum. TVPA, along with other local organizations say they have raised the money to remove the statue.
Tonya Perry, with the Coalition for Justice Through Civic Engagement, says this will be her first time attending and publicly speaking at a county commission meeting. Part of why she's there is for her father who served in the military.
"The Confederate monument honors people who committed treason against the nation, and so that really smacks in the face of my father and others who made so many sacrifices and many who made the ultimate sacrifice in terms of the loss of their lives," says Perry.
Supporters of the 'Move the Monument' movement plan to speak at the Huntsville City Council meeting, 7/23.