Arlington National Cemetery

• Since then, two more major Confederate monuments have been removed: the Confederate Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery and the Monument to the Women of the Confederacy in Jacksonville, Florida.
• Defenders of Confederate monuments have argued that the statues should be left standing to educate future generations.
• Despite meager financing and constant threats, these newspapers represented the views of Black Americans and documented the nation’s shortcomings in achieving racial equality.

‘Lost Cause’ propaganda

• My research students and I have also reviewed countless reactions to the monuments published in real time in Black newspapers.
• What is clear is that from the late nineteenth century until today, Confederate monuments were part of a relentless propaganda campaign to restore the South’s reputation at dedication ceremonies, parades, reunions and Memorial Day events.

• The master of ceremonies of that unveiling was R.T.W.
• Duke, Jr., the son of a Confederate colonel who was a popular orator at events like these.
• A few years earlier, Duke made his own views of the Civil War plain.

A critical Black press

• Contrary to the claims of today’s defenders of Confederate monuments, a review of Black newspapers going back to the 1870s conducted by my research team shows that Black journalists’ criticism of these memorials had already begun by the late nineteenth century.
• The first truly national Confederate monument was the statue of Robert E. Lee in Richmond.
• It was unveiled before an audience of as many as 150,000 attendees on May 29, 1890, and provoked sharp alarm among Black commentators across the country.

• Mitchell further detailed the enthusiasm of the crowd assembled in Richmond.
• “Cheer after cheer rang out upon the air as fair women waved handkerchiefs and screamed to do honor,” Mitchell wrote.

• An article republished from the National Home Protector, a Baltimore-based Black newspaper, also took aim at the statue.
• The editors of the newspaper accused white Southerners of trying to use the glorification of Lee to resurrect the “corpse of rebellion.”

Writing truth to power

• No one knows what the Black-owned Charlottesville Messenger said about the unveiling of the Lee monument in its city in 1924.
• For many Black editors, the monuments had become symbols of the violent backlash against Black citizenship by white Southerners.
• Telling the truth about American history requires transforming these memorials into true reflections of the seemingly never-ending battles initially fought during the the Civil War.

Donovan Schaefer does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

• COLUMBIA FALLS, ME and ARLINGTON, VA, Dec. 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- December 16, 2023 — National Wreaths Across America Day took place at over 4,225 participating locations across the country, including Arlington National Cemetery.
• Wreaths Across America would like to thank the communities, dedicated volunteers, and generous sponsors for coming together in unity and supporting those who have protected our freedom.
• Wreaths Across America believes the tradition represents a living memorial that honors veterans, active-duty military, and their families.
• National Wreaths Across America Day 2024 will be held on Saturday, December 14.

• ARLINGTON, VA, Dec. 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Pentagon Memorial Fund, Inc. (PMF) recently passed a critical milestone in the development of a Visitor Education Center at the site of the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial.
• The Visitor Education Center will be located within walking distance of the Pentagon Memorial and in close proximity to Arlington National Cemetery and the US Air Force Memorial.
• The 9/11 Pentagon Memorial Visitor Education Center will honor the 184 victims of the attack on the Pentagon as well as explore the local, national, and international response to 9/11 and subsequent Global War on Terror.
• The Visitor Education Center is anticipated to function as a national convening space for the examination of these responses, and their continuing impact.

• Jersey Mike’s has once again stepped up to help WAA reach its goal of placing a fresh, handmade balsam veteran’s wreath on every eligible marker at Arlington National Cemetery.
• Every $17 wreath sponsorship made at www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/JerseyMikes through Friday, Dec. 8, 2023, will be matched by the company, up to $250,000!
• Since 2010, Jersey Mike’s has supported WAA’s mission with contributions totaling more than $3.5 million dollars.
• “The incredible team at Jersey Mike’s Subs has been such a tremendous part of the growth of the program for more than a decade,” said Karen Worcester, executive director, Wreaths Across America.