A Confederate statue that was a bone of contention on the University of Mississippi campus will now be taken down and moved after the school’s student government unanimously voted for its new placement, NBC News reports.
In the weeks leading up to the decision to take down the statue of a Confederate soldier from the center of their campus, a rally was held in support of the statute. However, many students were against the symbol, saying that it represented racism and hate.
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On Tuesday, the members of the Associated Student Body Senate voted 47-0 in favor of its removal, thanks to a resolution written by students asking that the Confederate statue be moved to an on-campus cemetery where Confederate soldiers are buried. The vote was met with applause and jubilation from some in attendance.
“I started crying when I knew we had the majority vote,” said Leah Davis, a Black psychology major from Tupelo, Mississippi, who helped write the resolution. “It was really powerful to me the fact that the senate voted unanimously.”
“We’re setting up meetings right now with university leaders to understand the next steps from here,” said student body president Elam Miller.
“The way it’s outlined is sort of gray.”
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“Oh, the statue sucks. I don’t even know why anybody would have that up here. That’s like, so insulting,” student Serenity Griffin said to a local CBS station in Mississippi.
Some students, however, believe it’s important for the statue to remain on campus.
“It’s been a part of the University for several generations at this point. I feel like it should continue to be part of the university,” student Jacob Rabren said.
The statue was donated by the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1906..
The university sent out an email in support of the resolution:
“University leadership is aware of the resolution. We commend our students for using the democratic process to engage debate of topics that impact our community.”