Hours after President Trump said he wouldn’t be renaming military bases named for Confederate leaders, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi flaunted her opposition by highlighting her work to get Confederate statues in the US Capitol removed. Each US state gets to contribute two statues and there are currently 11 Confederate figures on display. The statue collection includes Gen. Robert E. Lee, a gift from Virginia, the Confederate president Jefferson Davis, which is a contribution from Mississippi and Alexander Hamilton Stephens, a statue given by Georgia. The statue of Edmund Kirby Smith, a general in the Confederate Army, was already expected to be replaced. The ‘Black Lives Matter’ protests that followed have put renewed attention on issues like the Capitol Hill statues, flying the Confederate flag at certain events and renaming 10 US Army bases, which currently are named after Confederate leaders.

Source: Nigerian Tribune June 11, 2020 05:37 UTC