Across the country, people are calling for the removal of statues and other memorials that honor slave owners, racists, confederates, and others who fostered bigotry and oppression. Here in Springfield, portraits, and statutes of Stephen Douglas, who was a Mississippi slave owner,  gaining his wealth from slave labor, and who publicly made abhorrent statements about people of color adorn the State Capitol.  Additionally,  a statue of Pierre Menard, a former lieutenant governor, also a slave owner, is on the Capital grounds.  There are important connections between these memorials and systemic racism, signaling to the public that racists and bigots are people to admire.   

People who promoted inequality, bigotry, and oppression should not be celebrated anywhere on state grounds, where the work of all the people is taken up. Every Illinois resident should be welcome on the Capital grounds and buildings, without being confronted with symbols of hate.  Additionally, the City of Springfield has a number of memorials honoring Douglas as well as others who fostered bigotry and oppression. 

We call on state and city officials to remove all public memorials of Illinois residents who owned slaves or fostered bigotry and oppression, as well as do a thorough review of public memorials. 

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