Late Sunday, Aug. 20, University of Texas at Austin President Gregory L. Fenves announced the three remaining Confederate statues on the south mall of campus would be relocated to the Briscoe Center for American History. The statues were moved beginning around 11 p.m.

In a statement to students, faculty and staff, President Fenves shared that he had revisited the 2015 report from the Task Force on the Historical Representation of Statuary at UT Austin and gathered feedback from the university community and others. He said:

The historical and cultural significance of the Confederate statues on our campus — and the connections that individuals have with them — are severely compromised by what they symbolize. Erected during the period of Jim Crow laws and segregation, the statues represent the subjugation of African Americans.

That remains true today for white supremacists who use them to symbolize hatred and bigotry. The University of Texas at Austin has a duty to preserve and study history. But our duty also compels us to acknowledge that those parts of our history that run counter to the university’s core values, the values of our state and the enduring values of our nation do not belong on pedestals in the heart of the Forty Acres.

The statue of Governor James Hogg was also moved from the south mall and will be considered for installation at another location on campus.