• AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      Robert E. Lee, and several of his commanding generals, specifically said that no one should ever commemorate their names or visages. That means no statues, or places named for them. They recognized that they were traitors.

      Woodrow Wilson didn’t give a fuck about dead men’s wishes.

    • CaptainBasculin@lemmy.ml
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      5 months ago

      I’m not american so dont really know much about its significance.

      Still would agree that it was a missed opportunity to not call it Eleementary way back when it was named.

      • rhadamanth_nemes@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        The Confederacy seceded to protect their right to own slaves, and soldiers on the side of the Confederacy killed and died to protect their right to own slaves.

        Not the kind of people we should be honoring by building statues and naming schools for them.

      • Possibly linux@lemmy.zipOP
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        5 months ago

        Calling it Lee anything is pretty dark. The name comes from slavery and and discrimination. It is tied to white supremacy groups that go around and hang African Americans they don’t like. Black Americans were dragged out of houses by a mob and then beaten heavily before finally being hung on a tree branch. (The KKK is the group I’m referring to)

        Of course this was not all of America and this kind of behavior has since stopped and we now we aim to stop racism not promote it.

        Here are the lyrics to a Billie Holiday song called “strange fruit” (it is in reference to lynchings)

        [Verse 1]

        Southern trees bear a strange fruit Blood on the leaves and blood at the root Black bodies swinging in the Southern breeze Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees

        [Verse 2]

        Pastoral scene of the gallant south The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh Then the sudden smell of burning flesh

        [Verse 3]

        Here is a fruit for the crows to pluck For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck For the sun to rot, for the tree to drop Here is a strange and bitter crop

      • ryathal@sh.itjust.works
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        5 months ago

        Robert E Lee is similar to Rommel. It’s problematic to use their name for things, but ignoring them is historically dishonest.