College Students Take Aim At Atlanta’s Henry Grady Statue

Henry Grady was a 19th century newspaper editor who advocated for a “New South” after the Civil War.

Ric Feld / AP file

Some Georgia State University students are demanding that Atlanta’s mayor remove a prominent statue of Henry Grady from downtown.

Grady was a 19th century newspaper editor who advocated for a “New South” after the Civil War.

An editorial Tuesday signed by the student newspaper’s board and other student groups calls Grady a racist.

They want the statue relocated to the Atlanta History Center, but if Georgia law won’t allow that, they’ll accept a new marker explaining Grady’s beliefs.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms did not return calls and emails seeking comment.