WHEREAS, The Confederate States of America and its secessionist movement were rooted in the defense of slavery; and

WHEREAS, Using the names of elected or military leaders of the Confederate States of America for federal buildings, parks, roadways, or other federally owned property only deepens the pain of those living under the legacy of slavery; and

WHEREAS, The United States of America continues to struggle with racial equality and tolerance; and

WHEREAS, The continued use of names of elected or military leaders of the Confederacy in public places is offensive to Americans who treasure the United States as one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all; and

WHEREAS, The horrific shooting deaths of nine African Americans attending church in South Carolina have once again raised the searing issue of racial violence and intolerance; and

WHEREAS, The ensuing images of the killer wrapping himself in the Confederate flag points to the continued use of that emblem of cruel oppression as a way to further demean, offend, and wound whole segments of our society; and

WHEREAS, The use of Confederate leaders’ names in public schools, buildings, parks, roadways, or other federally owned property in California only serves to further the discriminatory agenda of current sympathizers of the ideology of the Confederate States of America, and is antithetical to California’s mission of racial equality and tolerance; now, therefore, be it