E-United States yonkana, izithombe zabaholi be-Confederate kanye nabanye abantu bomlando abahlobene nobugqila nokubulawa kwabantu bomdabu baseMelika ziyabhidlizwa, zicekelwe phansi, zicekelwe phansi, zithuthwe noma zisuswe kulandela imibhikisho ehlobene nokushona kukaGeorge Floyd, indoda emnyama, emaphoyiseni. uvalelwe ngoMeyi 25 eMinneapolis.

ENew York, i-American Museum of Natural History imemezele ngeSonto ukuthi izosusa isithombe sikaTheodore Roosevelt, umongameli wama-26 waseMelika, ngaphandle kwesango layo elikhulu. Lesi sithombe sibonisa uRoosevelt egibele ihhashi, ephahlwe umMelika waseMelika kanye nowoMdabu waseMelika ohamba ngezinyawo. Isigcinamagugu asikasho ukuthi sizokwenzani ngalo mfanekiso.

E-Houston, izithombe ezimbili ze-Confederate emapaki omphakathi zisusiwe. Esinye salezo zithombe, uMoya we-Confederacy, isithombe sethusi esimele ingelosi ephethe inkemba negatsha lesundu, sasimi e-Sam Houston Park iminyaka engaphezu kwe-100 futhi manje sisendlini yokugcina impahla yedolobha.

Idolobha lihlele ukuhambisa lesi sithombe esiqoshiwe siyiswe eHouston Museum of African American Culture.

Ngenkathi abanye befuna futhi bathathe isinyathelo sokususa izithombe ze-Confederate, abanye bayabavikela.

E-Richmond, eVirginia, isifanekiso sikaGeneral Confederate uRobert E.Lee sesiphenduke isizinda sezingxabano. Ababhikishi bafuna ukuthi lo mfanekiso wehliswe, uMbusi waseVirginia uRalph Northam wakhipha umyalelo wokuthi ususwe.

Kodwa-ke, lo myalelo wavinjwa njengoba ithimba labanikazi bezakhiwo lifaka icala enkantolo yombuso liphikisa ukuthi ukususa lesi sithombe kuzokwehlisa inani lezakhiwo ezizungezile.

IJaji likaHulumeni uBradley Cavedo ukhiphe isinqumo ngesonto eledlule sokuthi lesi sichuse siyimpahla yabantu ngokususela kwitayitela lesakhiwo kusukela ngo-1890.

Ucwaningo lwango-2016 olwenziwa yi-Southern Poverty Law Centre, inhlangano elwela amalungelo ezomthetho engenzi nzuzo, lwathola ukuthi kunezimpawu ezingaphezu kuka-1,500 ze-Confederate zomphakathi kulo lonke elase-US ngendlela yezifanekiso, amafulegi, amapuleti elayisensi esifunda, amagama ezikole, imigwaqo, amapaki, amaholide. kanye nezizinda zamasosha, ikakhulukazi ezigxile eNingizimu.

Inani lezithombe nezikhumbuzo ze-Confederate ngaleso sikhathi lalingaphezu kuka-700.

Ukubuka okuhlukile

I-National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, inhlangano elwela amalungelo abantu, icele ukuthi kususwe izimpawu ze-Confederate ezindaweni zomphakathi nezikahulumeni iminyaka. Nokho, kunemibono ehlukene yokuthi ungabhekana kanjani nezinto zobuciko zomlando.

“Kungiphethe kabi lokhu ngoba lokhu kuwukumela umlando wethu, lokhu ukumelwa kwalokho ebesicabanga ukuthi kulungile,” kusho uTony Brown, uprofesa omnyama wesayensi yezokuhlalisana kwabantu nomqondisi we-Racism and Racial Experiences Workgroup e-Rice University. "Ngaso leso sikhathi, singase sibe nesilonda emphakathini, futhi asisacabangi ukuthi akusalungile futhi singathanda ukususa izithombe."

Ekugcineni, uBrown uthe angathanda ukubona lezi zithombe zihlala.

“Sijwayele ukufuna ukucasha umlando wethu. Sithanda ukusho ukuthi ukucwasa ngokwebala akusiyo ingxenye yalokho esiyikho, akuyona ingxenye yezinhlaka zethu, akuyona ingxenye yamagugu ethu. Ngakho-ke uma ususa isichuse usula umlando wethu, kusukela ngaleso sikhathi kuya phambili kujwayele ukuthi labo abasusa lowo mfanekiso bazizwe sebenze okwanele,” usho kanje.

Ukungenzi izinto zihambe kodwa ukwenza izinto zibonakale ngomongo yiyona kanye indlela owenza ngayo abantu baqonde ukuthi ukucwasa ngokwebala okujule kangakanani, kusho uBrown.

“Imali yesizwe sakithi yenziwa ngokotini, futhi yonke imali yethu inyatheliswa ngabamhlophe, abanye babo benezigqila. Uma ubonisa lolo hlobo lobufakazi, uthi, linda kancane, sikhokha izinto ngekotini ephrintiwe ngabanikazi bezigqila. Bese ubona ukuthi ukucwasa ngokwebala kujule kangakanani,” kusho yena.

UJames Douglas, uprofesa wezomthetho e-Texas Southern University kanye nomongameli we-Houston isahluko se-NAACP, angathanda ukubona izithombe ze-Confederate zisuswa.

“Abahlangene neMpi Yombango. Lezi zithombe zakhiwe ukuze kuhlonishwe amasosha e-Confederate kanye nokwazisa abantu base-Afrika baseMelika ukuthi abantu abamhlophe yibona abaphethe. Zakhiwe ngenhloso yokukhombisa amandla abelungu ababenawo kubantu base-Afrika baseMelika,” usho kanje.

Isinqumo sahlaba umxhwele

UDouglas uphinde abe ngumgxeki wesinqumo sika-Houston sokuhambisa isifanekiso se-Spirit of the Confederacy kumnyuziyamu.

“Lo mfanekiso ungowokuhlonipha amaqhawe alwela amalungelo ombuso, ikakhulukazi lawo alwela ukugcina ama-Afrika aseMelika njengezigqila. Ucabanga ukuthi ukhona yini ongasikisela ukuthi kubekwe isithombe eHolocaust Museum ethi lesi sithombe sakhiwe ngenjongo yokuhlonipha abantu ababulala amaJuda egumbini legesi?” wabuza.

Izithombe nezikhumbuzo ezokuhlonipha abantu, kusho uDouglas. Ukuwabeka nje emnyuziyamu wase-Afrika American akususi iqiniso lokuthi izithombe ziyawahlonipha.

KuBrown, ukushiya izithombe endaweni akumhloniphi lowo muntu.

“Kimina kubeka isikhungo icala. Uma unesithombe se-Confederate, asisho lutho ngomuntu. Isho okuthile ngobuholi. Isho okuthile ngawo wonke umuntu owasayina ngokuhlanganyela kuleso sithombe, wonke umuntu owathi lowo mfanekiso ungowakhona. Angicabangi ukuthi ufuna ukuwucisha lowo mlando,” usho kanje.

UBrown uthe abantu kufanele bachithe isikhathi esiningi bebheka ukuthi kwenzeka kanjani ukuthi "sinqume ukuthi lawo ngamaqhawe ethu ukuqala, sibheka ukuthi sinqume kanjani ukuthi lezo zithombe zilungile".

Inhlangano iBlack Lives Matter iphoqa iMelika ukuthi ihlole kabusha okwedlule ngale kwezithombe ze-Confederate.

I-HBO ikhiphe okwesikhashana ifilimu yango-1939 ethi Gone with the Wind ezinhlelweni zayo eziku-inthanethi ngesonto eledlule futhi ihlela ukuphinda ikhiphe ifilimu yakudala ngengxoxo yomlando wayo. Le filimu igxekwe ngokuqhakambisa ubugqila.

Futhi, ngesonto eledlule, i-Quaker Oats Co imemezele ukuthi isusa isithombe sowesifazane omnyama ephaketheni le-syrup yayo eneminyaka engu-130 ubudala kanye ne-pancake mix brand u-Aunt Jemima futhi ishintsha igama layo. I-Mars Inc yalandela lesi sibonelo ngokususa isithombe somuntu omnyama ephaketheni lomkhiqizo wayo odumile werayisi u-Uncle Ben yathi izowuqamba kabusha.

Le mikhiqizo yomibili yagxekwa ngenxa yezithombe zabo ezivamile kanye nokusetshenziswa kwezihlonipho ezibonisa isikhathi lapho abamhlophe baseningizimu babesebenzisa “u-anti” noma “umalume” ngenxa yokuthi babengafuni ukubiza abantu abamnyama ngokuthi “Mnu” noma “Nkosikazi”.

Bobabili uBrown noDouglas bathola umnyakazo we-HBO unengqondo, kodwa babheka umnyakazo wezinkampani ezimbili zokudla ngendlela ehlukile.

Umdwebo ongemuhle

“Yinto efanele ukuyenza,” kusho uDouglas. “Sithole izinkampani ezinkulu ukuthi zibone amanga ezindlela zazo. Ba (bathi), 'Sifuna ukushintsha ngoba siyabona ukuthi lokhu kuwumfanekiso ongemuhle wabantu base-Afrika baseMelika.' Bayabona manje futhi bayabaqeda."

KuBrown, ukunyakaza kungenye indlela yokuthi izinkampani zithengise imikhiqizo eminingi.

Ababhikishi bazama ukudiliza isifanekiso sika-Andrew Jackson, owayengumongameli waseMelika, eLafayette Park phambi kweWhite House ngesikhathi kuqhubeka imibhikisho yokungalingani kwezinhlanga eWashington, DC, ngoMsombuluko. UJOSHUA ROBERTS/REUTERS