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Dallas Lawmaker To Meet With Abbott About Confederate Plaque's Removal From Capitol

Jorge Sanhueza-Lyon
/
KUT News
The Children of the Confederacy Creed, which was installed inside the Capitol in the late 1950s, states that the Civil War was not fought over slavery.

Five stories that have North Texas talking: The latest in Confederate symbols and Texas; George H.W. Bush under fire; classic scary movies; and more.

State Rep. Eric Johnson, D-Dallas, will meet with Gov. Greg Abbott Friday to discuss the removal of a plaque honoring the Confederacy at the state Capitol.

The plaque, installed in 1959, hangs on the wall near Johnson’s office and asserts the Civil War was “not a rebellion, nor was its underlying cause to sustain slavery.” Johnson has sent a letter concerning the plaque to the State Preservation Board in August.

“The aforementioned plaque has no rightful place in the Texas Capitol,” Johnson wrote in a letter dated Aug. 16. “The plaque is not historically accurate in the slightest, to which any legitimate, peer-reviewed Civil War historian will attest.”

Johnson this week sent a formal request with the state to remove it.

“The plaque did not mark a historical event, nor was it installed to honor a specific Confederate soldier or leader, according to three members who were officers of the children's group in 1959,” according to The Dallas Morning News.

Abbott agreed last month to meet with Johnson. The governor previously said removing the monuments "won't erase our nation's past, and it doesn't advance our nation's future," The Texas Tribune reported.

In a statement this week, Johnson said this issue is not partisan.

“The plaque is indefensible from a historical standpoint,” he said. “I trust that Governor Abbott, in his role as Chairman of the State Preservation Board, will come to the same conclusion as Texas House Speaker Joe Straus and I did and call for the plaque’s immediate removal.”

There are more than 180 public symbols of the Confederacy around Texas, including a dozen on Capitol grounds. [The Texas Tribune, The Dallas Morning News]

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  • #MeToo: Two actresses have accused George H.W. Bush of inappropriately touching them during separate photo opps. Bush’s office apologized and said “on occasion he has patted women's rears in what he intended to be a good-natured manner." [The Washington Post]

  • Straus speaks: Texas House Speaker Joe Straus shook up the state Legislature when he announced his decision this week not to run for re-election next year. He talked with The Texas Tribune about his plans.

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  • Old haunts: Every Halloween, new movies try their best to scare the daylights out of us, but there’s nothing like the classics. “The Exorcist” and “Nosferatu,” accompanied by a live band out of Austin, are both playing in Dallas this weekend. [Art&Seek]

  • Post-fair fare: Free Fletcher’s Corny Dogs. 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Main Street Garden. [GuideLive]

The High Five is KERA’s daily roundup of stories from Dallas-Fort Worth and across the state. Explore our archives here. And sign up for our weekly email for the North Texas news you need to know.