Judson McCranie, Wikipedia Commons
As we start the new year, we look back on the growth of the Monuments Toolkit Project and look forward to the year ahead. For the past two years, we delved into the collective pulse of communities grappling with contested and oppressive monuments. This project unfolded as a compelling odyssey, capturing the varied narratives and transformative journeys embedded in the stones that dot our landscapes. As we traverse the intricate tapestry of history, we are poised to unveil stories of resilience, dialogue, and societal metamorphosis, igniting a beacon of understanding that guides us toward a future where monuments stand not as divisive relics but as catalysts for shared growth and unity.
This is a project that is at heart, a community driven project. We are developing a publication of case studies that not only focuses on how various localities are approaching divisive monuments, but are creating new monuments that tell undertold and untold stories. One of these communities is Jacksonville Florida. The process to remove the “Tribute to the Women of the Southern Confederacy” started in 2020. On December 27, 2023, the monument was taken down.
We sat down with Wells Todd, leader of Take ‘Em Down Jacksonville in 2022. This month we are revisiting this insightful conversation.