JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — For more than a century a Confederate monument stood in downtown Jacksonville.
The monument was taken down last month, and on Friday, on the 125th anniversary of that monument being initially installed, a local group celebrated its removal.
In the shadow of City Hall, what was once a monument to the Confederacy is now a construction zone. That monument was installed on June 16, 1898.
"We, today in 2023 are saying no more," said Wells Todd of Take 'Em Down Jax.
Currently, sod is laid down behind a fence. Todd said that this moment is important for the city.
"I think it means that the city is ready to move forward in dealing with racial issues in Jacksonville," said Todd. "This statue stood for 125 years, and we have been struggling to get it removed for seven years."
Todd and Take 'Em Down Jax rally outside City Hall every Friday and hope that the monument 'A Tribute to the Women of the Southern Confederacy' in Springfield Park is taken down next.
"The building of these monuments represented and celebrated the exploitation and oppression of the African American community," said Todd. "Our struggle is basically to mass a movement that will put pressure on the leadership of Jacksonville to do the right thing."