University Moving Statue of Confederate President

In the midst of a continued backlash against Confederate symbols following the deadly shooting at a black church in South Carolina, the University of Texas at Austin said today it will be relocating a statue of Jefferson Davis, the Dallas Morning News reports. The statue of the Confederate president, which is located on UT's Main Mall, had been defaced in recent months with the phrases "Davis Must Fall" and—following the church massacre—"Black Lives Matter," according to the Texas Tribune. While the statue of Davis will be moved to the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, four other statues of Confederate leaders, including Robert E. Lee, will remain on the Main Mall because of their relationship to Texas history, the Morning News reports.

Earlier this week, the school created an advisory panel of students, professors, and alumni to make recommendations about the statues, of which Davis was the most controversial. After announcing his decision to move Davis, UT's president said it wasn't "in the university's best interest to continue commemorating" him. He is also considering plaques to give historical context for the remaining Confederate statues. The Morning News reports the university is also moving a statue of former President Woodrow Wilson, which had been located across from the statue of Davis, for symmetry purposes. (More history stories.)