Although the Civil War ended more than 150 years ago, 2,089 Confederate memorials can still be found throughout the United States and its territories. These dehumanizing symbols of pain and oppression continue to serve as backdrops to government buildings and halls of justice, and are prominently placed inside of and around schools, public parks, counties, cities and military property.

Despite these numbers, there has been progress in removing Confederate symbols of hate and white supremacy. Public opinion is changing as more people learn about the cause of the Civil War — slavery — and the motivations behind the dedication of Confederate memorials.

In the third edition of our Whose Heritage? Public Symbols of the Confederacy report, we share exclusive reporting on the fight to remove public Confederate symbols and new data from our Whose Heritage? database developed in partnership between SPLC researchers and community members. You can read the full report here.

Public symbols that honor the Confederacy’s cruel legacy have no place in our communities. No child should have to attend a school named for someone who fought to keep Black and Brown people enslaved, and all of us deserve safe and peaceful public spaces free of symbols glorifying a shameful, hateful past. That’s why this year’s expanded report also includes action items that you and those around you can take to help remove local public Confederate symbols.

1. Use the Whose Heritage? map and database to research whether there’s a Confederate memorial in your community. Contact us if there is a Confederate memorial that’s missing from our data.
2. Support or promote legislation, policies and community action that support efforts to remove symbols of hate from public space.
3. Teach the history of the Civil War honestly and accurately. Learning for Justice’s Teaching Hard History framework provides resources for educators looking to inform students about the legacy of slavery in the United States.

For more information, and for tools to build a campaign against these offensive Confederate symbols, check out the Whose Heritage? Community Action Guide.

We also invite you to spread the word about the new Whose Heritage? report using our Whose Heritage? Social Media Toolkit.