JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Wednesday closed the chapter on a years-long battle to remove a Confederate monument from Jacksonville’s Springfield Park — an action that was met with much praise and scrutiny with critics saying the monument was a symbol of oppression and supporters saying it was an important piece of history.
Now, that the monument is gone and sits at a Brentwood warehouse, residents and activists in Springfield are speaking out about what remains and what is left to do to move forward.
“We don’t want to have it that we’re celebrating a folly of our past, having monuments to people who’ve committed treason or traitors to the U.S.,” Francis Osazuwa said.
Osazuwa, who lives in Springfield, said the removal of the statue was a top priority for him and now that is it gone, he’s hoping the city will focus on improving the park.
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“Making it so that it is better for the next generation and the children,” Osazuwa said. “Our parks are our legacy to our neighborhoods.”
Wells Todd, with Take Em Down JAX, said the statue’s removal is eight years in the making. Take Em Down JAX has been very vocal in expressing its disapproval over the monuments and pressed city leaders to remove what the organization called symbols of hate.
“A lot of different emotions,” Todd said. “I think one of the things that we’ve been saying constantly, is that we need truth and reconciliation here in Jacksonville, to be able to start healing the racial divide.”
Although the next focus for the advocacy group is undecided, Todd hopes the statue’s removal can start the conversation in the community that leads to healing.
“It’s time that we begin to pull the sheets off of what has happened in this country and start to honor the victims of this oppression, exploitation, white supremacy, racism, genocide that’s been carried out. And in doing that, I think we can move forward into a new day,” Todd said.
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