UT decides on Davis statue

Jefferson Davis has a place in Texas history, but no longer a place on the South Mall at the University of Texas’ Austin campus.

Moving the memorial to a history center on campus was recommended by a task force convened to explore the statue’s future.

A poll conducted by the task force found that one-third of respondents were in favor of moving the statue; another third thought it and other nearby statues should remain.

Ultimately, those seeking to move it prevailed.

Their efforts, part of a national push to remove symbols of the Confederacy — catalyzed by a devastating attack by a white supremacist on a black church in South Carolina — seem well-intended. Many students worry about the message such relics send to students of color.

But the Sons of Confederate Veterans argue that removing the statue is an attempt to erase history and sought a temporary restraining order to block the move.

The university should determine if and when to remove the statue.

UT is not seeking to destroy it but to relocate it to a place where it will be clear to all that what Davis represented is part of Texas’ past, not its present or future.

This story was originally published August 18, 2015 at 6:01 PM with the headline "UT decides on Davis statue."