HUNTSVILLE, Ala. —
For weeks, we’ve been following local groups as they’ve called for the removal of the Confederate statue outside the Madison County Courthouse. The statue still stands in the courthouse square.
Some local historians have decided to take another approach.
Well over 30 historians, a good number of them employed at University of Alabama Huntsville, have signed an open letter to Huntsville and Madison County leaders explaining *why* they say the courthouse is an inappropriate place for the statue.
The letter says the monument doesn’t reflect values we claim to hold dear-- “truth, equality and justice for all”. We met with one of the historians who tells us what she hopes will happen after local leaders take a look.
We spoke with Katheryn Frasier, who signed letter urging the relocation of Confederate Monument. She says, “I’m hoping that local lawmakers will listen, reach out to other organizations and communities to help them move the statue. Whether that’s to a cemetery, a museum-- just some place that’s not in front of a city building.”
The letter was created by the “Members of the North Alabama Community of Historians and Historical Preservation Professionals”
Historians are still awaiting a response from local leadership.
And you can find more on why they say the statue needs to move here: