We call on the South Carolina state legislature to enable local decisions about South Carolina's Confederate and segregationist memorials by repealing the Heritage Act, which currently requires a two-thirds vote by the state legislature to change any such memorial. The South Carolina Attorney General found on June 25, 2020 that this two-thirds requirement is unconstitutional, which we believe underscores the need to repeal the Heritage Act entirely. 

Repealing the Heritage Act would give local entities in South Carolina, including schools and cities, the ability to make local decisions about the future of their memorials. We agree with the editorial board of the Greenville News that “Ultimately, the decision about what to do with [Confederate memorials] must reside with local residents. They are the ones who live and work around these monuments. They are the people who will have to explain to their children and grandchildren why these monuments matter.”

Under the Heritage Act, the entire South Carolina state legislature must vote to approve any change to a memorial, such as the renaming of buildings at Clemson and the University of South Carolina. This is a waste of government time and taxpayer money, and means that students must continue to live and work in buildings that universities have agreed to rename for months until the legislature can vote. This law doesn't serve South Carolina communities and should be repealed. 

This petition was started by alumni of the University of South Carolina. Visit repealtheheritageact.org for more information.