59 Confederate symbols have been removed, relocated or renamed since anti-racism protests began over George Floyd's death, a new Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) report finds.
Why it matters: That's a marked increase on previous years, per the report, which points out just 16 Confederate monuments were affected in 2019.
- Confederate monuments have been a flashpoint of Black Lives Matter protests this year, resulting in statues being torn down by demonstrators or removed by authorities.
By the numbers: Per the SPLC, since Floyd's May 25 death Confederate symbols have been removed from 38 monuments, one flag (Mississippi's) and one emblem that previously featured in a South Dakota community's police uniform.
- Five Confederate monuments have been relocated.
- 14 Confederate symbols have been renamed — eight schools, one college, two parks or trails (in California and Virginia), two roads (in Louisiana and Texas) and one body of water (in Virginia).
The big picture: The SPLC report finds Nearly 1,800 Confederate symbols remain on public land, including 725 monuments.
- The House voted last month remove to Confederate statues from the U.S. Capitol building as part of a broader national movement to eliminate symbols of racism and oppression.
- In June, President Trump signed an executive order on Friday to denounce protesters that have vandalized Civil War and World War II monuments, as demonstrators mostly targeted symbols of the Confederacy.
Go deeper: Pentagon effectively bans Confederate flag from military installations
