Columbia, SC – South Carolina Democratic Party Chairman, Trav Robertson, Jr., made formal requests to State officials asking for the return of the Pitchfork Ben Tillman statue.
Purchased by the Party around 1940, Ben Tillman served as Governor of South Carolina from 1890 to 1894 and is known to give violent, public remarks about black Americans.
In his letter, delivered Wednesday to Governor Henry McMaster, Senator Harvey Peeler, Representative Jay Lucas, and Marci Adams, Executive Director of the South Carolina Department of Administration, SCDP Chair Trav Robertson Jr. asked South Carolina to return the Party’s Tillman statue, along with any other statue or monument paid for by the South Carolina Democratic Party.
“The time in which we live demands that we be on the right side of history,” Robertson said.
The request comes amidst the five year anniversary of the Charleston Massacre at Mother Emanuel, and as our nation begins to commemorate Juneteenth against the backdrop of police brutality and nationwide protests in support of Black Lives Matter.
An estimated 60% of South Carolina Democrats identify as African-American. 30%-31% of the registered voters—taxpayers—in South Carolina are people of color.This is what our Party must do. We lead by example. If we are serious, we start by saying >racist politicians will not have a place of reverence at the people’s house any longer.”
