The Goal

Remove the statue of Benjamin Tillman. It’s time.

The Statehouse is the statehouse for ALL the people of South Carolina. The statue of Benjamin Tillman was erected in 1940. This was a time when the Civil Rights movement was gaining momentum in the south. There can be no doubt that this statue was placed in front of the Capitol building to send a clear message to people of color: “This isn’t your Statehouse.”

It’s time that all South Carolinians come together to remove this memorial to White Supremacy.

This isn’t about Left vs Right. It’s about taking down a memorial to an avowed White Supremacist who waged a war of terror on Black South Carolinians.

“We of the South have never recognized the right of the Negro to govern white men, and we never will. We have never believed him to be the equal of the white man, and we will not submit to his gratifying his lust on our wives and daughters without lynching him.”

— Benjamin Tillman (Speech to the US Senate)