The revolution against Confederate monuments has started in New Orleans

A second Confederate statue in New Orleans, one of Jefferson Davis, has come down last night.

I was reading this article on ABC News.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/orleans-school-warns-parents-confederate-statue-removal/story?id=47339045

In particular I noticed the picture of members of the African American fraternity Alpha Phi Alpha shown holding hands and praying. I could see in their faces that the statues coming down was a revolutionary experience, deeply felt.

I doubt they are interested in chattering about contextualizing these monuments or putting interpretive plaques or some "fearless girl" contextualization or redoing a monument of a Confederate leader for one of their non-Confederate actions in life. I rather doubt that they are interested in the silliness express in these blog postings.

http://cwmemory.com/2017/03/28/does-the-robert-e-lee-monument-need-a-fearless-girl/

http://cwmemory.com/2017/05/08/the-redeemable-confederate/

These people praying aren't interested in a "redeemable" Confederate.

I don't think the chattering about erasing history or "teachable moments" will be taken seriously.

The other statues are going down and staying down. I don't think that the state of Louisiana has the power to keep them up. If they try the state of Louisiana will be in an uproar.

But this wasn't the most important thing I realized in reading the article and thinking about what is happening.

When the 4th statue goes down it will show that it can be done when the people of a city decide that the Confederate statues need to go. It shows that it can be done and only needs determination that it shall be done against all obstacles. City of Baltimore, are you paying attention?

It has also made clear to the public who really is behind these statues, it isn't just some small white nationalist groups, or the United Daughters of the Confederacy or the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

It has been revealed that the real supporters of the Confederate monuments are the historical societies and sections of the white establishment. The mask has fallen and years afterwards people in New Orleans will remember who came out to support the Confederate monuments.

And then the question will be raised in every major city with a significant African American community why does that city still have Confederate monuments? I think it could happen that the African American leadership in a city will find that they are judged by both residents of the city and nationally on whether they have gotten rid of the Confederate monuments in their city.

I don't think excuses will be accepted. I think also how leaders in a community act in regards to Confederate monuments will be it really clear to the public what type of individuals they are.

So monuments elsewhere will come down. Even where state legislators have passed laws preventing their removal, because legislatures can be picketed, denounced, and be in an uproar of controversy when it is determined by the residents of a city that the monuments need to go.

When the monuments in New Orleans go down, what will the reaction in Baltimore where their Confederate monuments are still standing not going anywhere?

When monuments stay I think it will reveal which African Americans are really owned by white elites.

The victory over Confederate monuments in New Orleans will inspire activists in every city to try to get their Confederate monuments taken down and to persevere. Often the effort is a 3 month thing and then activists give up. Another lesson of New Orleans is that perseverance pays off.

As one city gets rid of Confederate monuments the pressure and drive to get rid of Confederate monuments in other cities will increase.

When most of the major cities have their Confederate monuments removed, the major cities which still have them will look bad, racist, backward, stupid and their chamber of commerce group and other groups interested in attracting employers will decide that the Confederate monuments need to go.

For small towns which still have Confederate monuments, they will find that observers will point to the Confederate monuments, as a sign of the town being retrograde, and a quick short hand to summarize the town as being retrograde. People will stay, "It is the type of town that still has a Confederate monument."

Groups having economic interests in that town will want the Confederate monuments to go.

It all depends on the 3rd and 4th monument going. If the process is halted successfully the movement to get rid of Confederate monuments could stall out or halt. But when the 4th monument goes down, the whole revolutionary process will open up across the nation.

I hope mayor Landrieu hurries, because the Sons of Confederate Veterans are working to stop the process. I think they know very well what is at stake and will undertake any effort necessary to stop. They know as well as anyone that when the 4th monument goes down, neo-Confederacy will start going down with it.

I personally hope to help these efforts. I retire shortly and I will be glad to drive to cities and introduce myself.

This article shows Jefferson Davis being taken away. All strapped up and being carried away.

http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2017/05/confederate_monument_jefferson.html