Statue Of Slavery Defender John C. Calhoun Removed From Charleston

The Charleston, South Carolina statue of former vice president and U.S. senator, John C. Calhoun, was removed from its spot in the city’s Marion Square on Wednesday. The removal took most of the day.

Calhoun was known for defending slavery and personally owning around 80 slaves.

Many controversial statues connected to slavery and racial injustice around the country have been vandalized, removed or called into question following the May death of George Floyd. There has been a national outcry against racial injustice since Floyd’s brutal death in police custody. 

Conversations about Confederate monuments, like the one of Calhoun, have been going on for years.

On Tuesday night, the Charleston City Council voted unanimously to remove the statue. Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg said, “We have a sense of unity moving forward for racial conciliation and for unity in this city. God bless you all.”

A member of the Charleston City Council, Peter Shahid, told CNN, “The statue has served as a symbol of division in our community and we don’t need that. We need symbols that unite us, that bring us together not tear us apart.”

The city had to go through legal processes before rightfully removing the statue on Wednesday.