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Confederate Symbolism: Redefining History

The Confederate Controversy

Despite the end of the Civil War in 1865 and the fall of Jim Crow laws, Confederate monuments and symbols continue to occupy public spaces across America. The continued presence of Confederate symbols–including monuments and the naming of schools, buildings, and public spaces after Confederate figures–remains a source of ongoing controversy. There is a battle between memory vs. history and heritage vs. hate. Which is more of an accurate representation of Confederate monuments and symbols? Advocates for Confederate removal argue that these symbols represent America’s dark history while glorifying those who fought to preserve slavery and white supremacy. In contrast, opponents argue that the symbols are significant parts of American history and should be preserved for educational purposes or that the symbols represent Southern heritage. Some perceive these symbols as “harmless relics of a bygone era," under the impression that the removal of these symbols would be the beginning of a slippery slope and lead to the removal of other historical figures. There is hardly any overlap in the two differing sides, making it difficult to find a common ground solution.

Confederate Symbolism: Spaces of Regression

Furthermore, there is ongoing physiological, cultural, and political harm that derives from these symbols. Black Americans do not feel comfortable in spaces with Confederate symbols and monuments because they represent their degradation and oppression. These symbols are far from just symbols, they are reminders of a time where Black individuals were enslaved at the hands of their white peers. They are reminders for a time where Black people had no rights and white people reigned superior. In order to move forward as a country, we can not ignore the issue of Confederate symbolism. 

Dr. Chiles, whose scholarship focuses on African American and American History, explores the dynamics of historical memory in Richmond, Virginia–particularly regarding its Confederate Legacy. Once the capitol of Confederacy, post-Civil War, Chiles refers to Richmond as the “Mecca of the Lost Cause,” and Monument Avenue–the controversial street once decorated in Confederate Monuments–was the “sacred road to it." He acknowledges how Monument Avenue served as the “cathedral and insignia of Black Richmonders." When the statues rose, Black Richmonders lost the right to vote and were deprived of equal access to education and public accommodations.  Most significantly, even after the end of the civil rights movement, they were not allowed to live along the Avenue until the movement was well underway. Monument Avenue and its Confederate monuments represented more than Confederate war heroes; it served as a reminder that Black Americans were not welcomed in white America, remaining in place as a reminder until 2021. 

Art as Activism

Public spaces and works of art have the power to influence collective memory–and even facilitate justice. Art has the ability to challenge and reinterpret these dark historic symbols and spark change, reparations, and knowledge. A large portion of the general public is unaware of what the monuments they pass by daily unnoted truly represent–America's greatest tragedy. Something as significant and powerful as art should not honor those at fault for America’s darkest times.  Art serves as a lens for the truth. Here, art should function as a tool of remembrance–honoring the enslaved ancestors whose labor and lives were instrumental in shaping the nation. 

Faculty of education, Amwiine and member of the department of publication and extension, Nnenna at Kampala International University in Uganda, state that “art creates a sense of collective identity and bolsters the confidence and morale of those engaged in social protest." Art as activism includes protest art, community art, performances, imitation, and more. Amwiine and Nnenna acknowledge that “images are the instantaneous attention grabber." Images communicate what words often fail to express. Unlike text, which requires interpretation, images deliver an immediate and emotional response. Therefore, visual activist art is extremely powerful. It can trigger, inspire, and unify in ways words alone can not. The SPLC, an American nonprofit organization specializing in civil rights and public interest litigation, noted how in effort to bring awareness to a Florida county’s issue portraying Confederate symbols, they launched a public awareness campaign. The campaign included “three digital billboards at key  junctions throughout the county” with the goal of applying economic pressure on the county, appealing to tourists. The power of images is why visual symbols and monuments of the country’s racist past are so impactful and negative.

In reference to the Robert E. Lee monument located on Monument Avenue, New York Times journalist Lescaze acknowledges the significance of  reclaiming, transforming and imitating these images as some of the most efficient ways of conveying a public message. She states that “activists have transformed the base of the sculpture . . . [into a space where] people who once avoided the statue now make pilgrimages to see what has become an emblem of the Black Lives Matter movement." Community interaction and art transformed an oppressive space into a comfortable diverse public gathering. The space that once represented hatred, white-supremacy, and oppression became a place of diversity celebration–that is true power. The monuments were eventually removed in 2021 after its long and historic presence. 

Dr. Chiles believes that “the need for racial reconciliation existed well before the monument removal." Although the statues came down with little resistance,  “Richmond is faced with the conundrum of fixing the issues they represented." The cities in which Confederate symbols and monuments reside–specifically in the South–must facilitate change beyond removal of harmful representations. There are many people who continue to oppose the removal of Confederate symbols and monuments because they are simply unable to perceive or be indifferent to its impact on Black Americans and the generational trauma it represents. Therefore, we must do more to bring awareness to this issue. Art as activism is one way.

My Art as Activism: Redefining Symbols

Kehinde Wiley takes the classic man on horse statue–traditionally used to honor military leaders, especially Confederate generals statue–and places a Black man in its position. The Black figure differs from average submissive and degrading interpretations--he's confident and expressive. Wiley inserts Black people into the visual language of power and permanence, which has historically excluded them. This choice redefines what and who we are accustomed to seeing celebrated. It challenges who we choose to memorialize. What's most captivating about this sculpture: Rumors of War, is how it appears to be a typical Confederate monument at first glance, but then stuns viewers. Rumors of War doesn't erase history; it responds to it.

Mixed media collage is an effective medium for communication. I plan to create a visual piece in which I collage photographs representative of the Black community and Black culture and overlay the shape of the Confederate flag on top. The flag will be entirely reconstructed out of these portraits, reclaiming and redefining its imagery by centering those historically marginalized and oppressed by what the flag represents. Just as Wiley overlays traditional monument style with modern Black identity, I am overlaying Black presence--both celebrated and culturally--onto a symbol of oppression. It will communicate that the history of the Confederate flag is inseparable from the Black experience. The two are deeply intertwined. The message will be loud and clear: Black people are apart of this history, not erased from it.

Works Cited

Argueta, Stephanie Nicole. “The Legal, Ethical, and Practical Dimensions of Removing Confederate Monuments.” Center for Art Law, 28 Oct. 2023, itsartlaw.org/2023/10/28/the-legal-ethical-and-practical-dimensions-of-removing-confederate-monuments/.

Chiles, Marvin T. “Reenvisioning Richmond’s Past: Race, Reconciliation, and Public History in the Modern South, 1990–Present.” Journal of Southern History, vol. 88, no. 4, Nov. 2022, pp. 707–752, https://doi.org/10.1353/soh.2022.0218. Accessed 7 May 2023.

Hassans Amwiine, et al. “ART as Activism: The Influence of Visual Arts on Social Movements.” ResearchGate, vol. 3, no. 1, 5 Aug. 2024, pp. 5–8, www.researchgate.net/publication/382878182_ART_as_Activism_The_Influence_of_Visual_Arts_on_Social_Movements.

Lescaze, Zoe, et al. “The 25 Most Influential Works of American Protest Art since World War II.” The New York Times, 15 Oct. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/10/15/t-magazine/most-influential-protest-art.html?login=smartlock&auth=login-smartlock.

“Sculpture Created by Kehinde Wiley for VMFA - VMFA.” VMFA, 12 Nov. 2019, vmfa.museum/about/rumors-of-war/. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.

“SPLC Issues Grants for Removal of Confederate Symbols.” Southern Poverty Law Center, 17 Jan. 2025, www.splcenter.org/resources/stories/grants-support-organizations-remove-confederate-symbols/.