Oct 18 2016 - 8:01am
by Lyndy Berryhill

... “We’re confident in our position that the university has not done anything improper or that violates,” University lawyer Lee Tyner said ...

“I find it remarkable that a group that claims to be dedicated to preserving the legacy of those who fought to establish the Confederacy would find issue with the plaque as it currently stands,” Ole Miss History Professor Anne Twitty said ...

“If the Sons of Confederate Veterans are really as ‘proud’ of the Confederate legacy as they claim to be, they should warmly embrace efforts to spread the truth about what the Confederacy was all about. But if, on the other hand, the statements of Confederates themselves make members of the SCV squeamish, then perhaps they should reevaluate the goals and purpose of their organization” ...

“They were not ashamed of their willingness to tear the nation in two in order protect the right to continue holding other human beings in bondage,” Twitty said. “They didn’t pull any punches about their motivations. Neither should we” ...

http://thedmonline.com/plaque-writer-responds-confederate-groups-university-lawsuit/

http://hottytoddy.com/2016/10/13/confederate-statue-plaque-officially-revised/

Quite a difference!

Old text:

“AS CONFEDERATE VETERANS WERE PASSING FROM THE SCENE IN INCREASING NUMBERS, MEMORIAL ASSOCIATIONS BUILT MONUMENTS IN THEIR MEMORY ALL ACROSS THE SOUTH. THIS STATUE WAS DEDICATED BY CITIZENS OF OXFORD AND LAFAYETTE COUNTY IN 1906. ON THE EVENING OF SEPTEMBER 30, 1962, THE STATUE WAS A RALLYING POINT WHERE A REBELLIOUS MOB GATHERED TO PREVENT THE ADMISSION OF THE UNIVERSITY’S FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENT. IT WAS ALSO AT THIS STATUE THAT A LOCAL MINISTER IMPLORED THE MOB TO DISPERSE AND ALLOW JAMES MEREDITH TO EXERCISE HIS RIGHTS AS AN AMERICAN CITIZEN. ON THE MORNING AFTER THAT LONG NIGHT, MEREDITH WAS ADMITTED TO THE UNIVERSITY AND GRADUATED IN AUGUST 1963.

THIS HISTORIC STATUE IS A REMINDER OF THE UNIVERSITY’S PAST AND OF ITS CURRENT AND ONGOING COMMITMENT TO OPEN ITS HALLOWED HALLS TO ALL WHO SEEK TRUTH AND KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM”

New text:

"AS CONFEDERATE VETERANS WERE DYING IN INCREASING NUMBERS, MEMORIAL ASSOCIATIONS ACROSS THE SOUTH BUILT MONUMENTS IN THEIR MEMORY. THESE MONUMENTS WERE OFTEN USED TO PROMOTE AN IDEOLOGY KNOWN AS THE “LOST CAUSE,” WHICH CLAIMED THAT THE CONFEDERACY HAD BEEN ESTABLISHED TO DEFEND STATES’ RIGHTS AND THAT SLAVERY WAS NOT THE PRINCIPAL CAUSE OF THE CIVIL WAR. RESIDENTS OF OXFORD AND LAFAYETTE COUNTY DEDICATED THIS STATUE, APPROVED BY THE UNIVERSITY, IN 1906. ALTHOUGH THE MONUMENT WAS CREATED TO HONOR THE SACRIFICE OF LOCAL CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS, IT MUST ALSO REMIND US THAT THE DEFEAT OF THE CONFEDERACY ACTUALLY MEANT FREEDOM FOR MILLIONS OF PEOPLE. ON THE EVENING OF SEPTEMBER 30, 1962, THIS STATUE WAS A RALLYING POINT FOR OPPONENTS OF INTEGRATION.

THIS HISTORIC STATUE IS A REMINDER OF THE UNIVERSITY’S DIVISIVE PAST. TODAY, THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI DRAWS FROM THAT PAST A CONTINUING COMMITMENT TO OPEN ITS HALLOWED HALLS TO ALL WHO SEEK TRUTH, KNOWLEDGE, AND WISDOM.”