In June of 2020 myself and four others set out on a journey backed by many in our community to remove two Confederate Monuments from the Bastrop County Courthouse Lawn.  I can't believe that we are approaching the one year anniversary of that unimaginable goal.  A goal we set during COVID no less.  But we had a plan, and we had a mission, and WE DID IT in a monumental 4-0 vote by the Commissioners Court!  I was appointed to the Monument Relocation committee and we were charged with finding a new location for the monuments, as well as raising the $50,000 needed to fund the project.  On  February 8, 2021, l along with my co-chair, met with the court to make a final recommendation on the new home for the structures.  It will be a 2 acre lot of land recently acquired by the county.  Early on after the court voted to remove the monuments, there had been some discussion on finding property that might allow for the development of a heritage park.  The park would include these structures as well as the addition of new structures that would serve to highlight diversity and equality in our community.  

There are many in the community that don't want to see them anywhere ever, and of course others that still choose to view them as memorials to fallen confederate soldiers and don't want them to be removed at all.  No matter the view, the goal of the movement has always been to move them off of the Courthouse grounds, a space that should represent justice and equality for all and we accomplished that goal.  I am very proud of the way our little town set out to take on this battle.  A battle that many communities are still struggling to overcome.  In the end we had several private property owners who offered to take the monuments.   This was always a concern because we did not want to place them in a location where they would ultimately be used as a rallying cry to to cause of the confederacy, and the reality is, no matter where they went, they would have still been owned and maintained by the county. 

So the recommendation was made to move them to property offered to us by the County.  They will be off the courthouse grounds, outside of the city and away from our beautiful downtown area.  In my recommendation, I made it clear that I would be holding the Commissioners Court accountable for the development of that Heritage Park, and that, it should be one that puts the existence of the monuments into context in a manner that provides a fuller and more honest accounting of the south's history, and its legacy of slavery and racism, and the court needs to ensure other monuments, memorials, and markers  are added and dedicated to those who have been denied historical recognition for far too long.

There are not enough words to thank each of you for taking the time, to sign this petition and make a donation to help us reach our goal. I hope that each of you were able to watch the virtual music festival fundraiser hosted on MLK day to raise funds for the project cost.  We are grateful for the artist who donated their time and talent, to help us raise the money needed to accomplish our fundraising goal.   There were many in opposition of our efforts who were hoping we wouldn't find a new location (and it was a struggle), but we did, and then they were hoping we wouldn't ever raise the money to pay for the project.  But because of your generosity, and the generosity of the artist performing in the concert we overcame that obstacle. 

The concert included 18 local and national musical artist, and of course our wonderful best selling author Ryan Holiday who shelled out $10,000 to jump start our fundraising.  At one point we had as many as 300 viewers, some as far as Europe, and by the time we took the stream down, it was ultimately viewed by more than 1.2k people.   We raised just over $10,000 that night and with the $10,000 donation from the Hogg Foundation, We raised just over the $50,000 needed to cover the cost of the move.   Part of the recommendation was for the court to start the removal process no later than April 1, 2021, and in a 3-2 vote, the recommendations were accepted.

So Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!  This is our final post!  I hope that those of you still fighting the good fight never give up.  Keep moving forward to a day when there is no longer a need to fight Social Injustice in our world, a day when all lives truly matter.

Stay Safe.  Stay Healthy.  Take Care.

One Love Always,

Cheryl