TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - New Orleans is set to begin taking down confederate statutes, becoming the latest Southern body to separate itself from what some say are symbols of racism and intolerance.
Mayor Mitch Landrieu says the first memorial will come down Monday night. The process is reigniting the debate about Civil War memorials here in Florida, too.
On the lawn of the Old Capitol are two marble obelisks, one dedicated to the civil war. It lists Florida's Civil War battles and includes an inscription meant to remember the men of Leon County who died from 1861-1865.
This memorial is just one way the Tallahassee area remembers the Civil War.
In March, local history buffs gathered in Woodville for a reenactment, remembering the Battle of Natural Bridge.
"The battle of Natural Bridge is a significant event," said Ginger Rudiger, president of the Florida United Daughters of Confederacy. "It's a part of our Florida state history. It's a time of history that's misconstrued and not understood by a lot of folks. They think it's about certain issues, it may or may not be."
Those who want the Confederate memorials to stay say it's part of history that shouldn't be ignored. removed say they are Others call the monuments offensive, saying they honor the country's slave-owning past.
"For my culture and for many other cultures, it is not the symbol of positivity that we like to reflect," said Dianne Williams-Cox, a member of the Democratic Women's Club of Florida. "It belongs in a history book and I think that's going to be the best place for it. We're not longer there, we're so much more progressive now than where we were back then, so put it in a history book, not out front for everyone to see. We're all Americans, let's see the American flag."
