This section describes the persons and concepts that the Objectives of AntiRacistUSA.org are named for and helps to clarify the reasons for the names and their historical context.

Many of the objectives featured on AntiRacistUSA.org like schools, bridges, monuments, roads, mascots and other place names have been dedicated to and inspired by historical figures and themes that played roles in the promotion of the “lost cause” narrative of the Civil War. This “lost cause” narrative was embodied by the concept that the Civil War was fought for noble reasons, that those who rebelled against the United States were heroes and not traitors and that the Civil War wasn’t fought over the cause of slavery. All of these propositions are historically inaccurate.

These entities are named for Confederate soldiers and politicians who ran the Confederate government and supported Secession and slavery. Some are also named for other people who opposed civil rights and integration efforts throughout the many years of United States history that have been fraught with the legacy of slavery and its aftermath.

Some of the items catalogued on this site are also named thematically. For example “loyal slave” monuments were not named for an individual person but were dedicated to a theme of the “lost cause” narrative. In this particular category these were monuments that tried to promote the false view that enslaved people were happy with their enslavement and blindly loyal to their masters.