After signing several bills at an enrollment ceremony at Washington's U.S. Capitol, Nancy Pelosi (D.CA), Nancy Pelosi, the U.S. House Speaker, holds up a bill."On January 6, we witnessed the division of Confederate battle banners being flown within the U.S. Capitol. Clyburn stated that there are still vestiges in the sacred building that glorify people, and a movement which embraced that flag and tried to destroy our great nation.Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), pointed out Confederate flags, and other hate symbols, when representatives reintroduced this bill last month as a reason for replacing the statues.Although the House approved the legislation last January, it did not gain momentum in the Republican-controlled Senate. It is not clear if the legislation has enough GOP support to pass in the Democratic-controlled Senate.Tuesday's House vote approved a bill to remove Confederate statues from the Capitol and the bust Roger Taney. Roger Taney was a former chief justice who is well-known for his pro-slavery ruling."This legislation will eliminate these commemorations in places of honor and show that Americans don't celebrate those who seek division."The law requires that states remove any statues or busts honoring those who have volunteered to serve in the Confederacy from the Capitol.Lawmakers placed a special emphasis on Taney's bust and noted that he was the author of the "Dred Scott v. Sanford", ruling that stated that Black Americans cannot be U.S. citizens. The bust of Thurgood Marshall will replace it. He was the first Black justice to sit on the high courts."The Dred Scott decision was an omen on our history and represents the tragic legacies of slavery and racism that shouldn't be celebrated in this country. It is fitting that instead we honor Justice Thurgood Marshall, a fighter to justice and inclusion who sought the advancement of the civil rights movement," stated Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), House Majority Leader.Other prominent statues or busts would be taken out include the statue of Jefferson Davis who was president of the Confederate States between 1861 and 1865 and Alexander Stephens who served as vice president to Davis.The legislation includes the Confederate Monument Removal Act, which was introduced by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif). The bill orders the removal statues that symbolise "slavery. sedition and segregation," according to Democrats.The legislation also requires that the architect of Capitol identify any other statues or busts honoring the Confederacy. These will be removed and returned back to the states that sent them.After nationwide protests last year over racial injustice, the legislation was passed. This was prompted by the murder of George Floyd, a Black man, by Derek Chauvin, a white Minneapolis police officer. Chauvin was sentenced last week to 22.5 years imprisonment.According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, nearly 170 Confederate statues were removed from the United States in 2020 alone.
