GEORGETOWN, Texas — For more than 10 years, various Central Texas organizations have been fighting for the removal of a Confederate monument in the city of Georgetown.
On July 4, the Wilco Patriots and Move the Monument joined together to host a free "Together We Stand Rally" in their continued effort to get rid of the statue.
Since 1916, the sculpture – which features a Confederate soldier, emblem and flag – has stood outside the Williamson County Courthouse, dating back to a time when segregation was still prevalent in the U.S.
On Thursday, the two advocacy groups met at the courthouse on Main Street and read parts of abolitionist and writer Frederick Douglas' book, "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?"
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This isn't the first time residents have pushed for the statue's removal. In 2017, a group brought up the issue during a commissioners court meeting.
Four years later, a nonprofit advocacy organization called the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) leased a billboard supporting the Wilco Patriots, which stated the following message: "Remove the Confederate monument from our Square."
In recent years, multiple community members have continued to push elected officials to remove the monument for good. This past spring, yet another rally was held at the Georgetown Square.
While the city has yet to get rid of the statue, other Texas cities have made similar moves.
Lockhart, Dallas and San Antonio are just a few places across the state where Confederate statues have been removed.
The Georgetown organizations that participated in Thursday's rally hope their historic home will soon do the same.