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Friend,
Over three and a half years ago, Congress voted by an overwhelming, bipartisan majority (86-14 in the Senate) to strip the U.S. military of names and symbols that glorify and pay homage to the “Lost Cause” of the Confederacy.
It is embarrassing that our country ever had military bases named after men who waged war against the U.S. to defend the institution of slavery and maintain white supremacy.
When Congress passed the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, there were nine U.S. military bases named for Confederate officers and nearly 800 other examples of Confederate iconography – including flags, statues and building names – on military property.
This past September, the Defense Department’s Naming Commission came up with names of real American heroes to replace the Confederate names for military bases. Since then, the Defense Department (DOD) has renamed five bases. In early June, Fort Bragg in North Carolina – named for Confederate General Braxton Bragg – became Fort Liberty. An enslaver in Louisiana, Bragg was known for being a cruel and sadistic general. He was also a failure as a military strategist, suffering repeated losses that hastened the defeat of the Confederacy. There is no reason to honor this man, and every reason to purge our military of all symbols of white supremacy.
The Southern Poverty Law Center has been pushing to remove Confederate symbols from all public property for nearly 10 years, and we recognize the progress that the DOD has made. But the fact remains that it has been nearly four years since Congress’ mandate. The DOD has only until Jan. 1 to finish the job. We call on military leaders and the Biden administration to take swift and decisive action in the coming months.
The DOD must be especially firm and decisive, because those defending the legacy of treason and white supremacy are pushing back. On June 9, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis promised to change the name of Fort Liberty back to Fort Bragg if he is elected president. Former Vice President Mike Pence followed suit. An adviser to Pence defended this position, stating that “Mike’s view is that we should be learning from history, and not trying to erase history.”
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In solidarity,
Your friends at the Southern Poverty Law Center
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