The Chicks Rallying to Relocate Confederate Monument in Texas

The Chicks are working to make a change in their home state of Texas, appearing during a recent virtual concert held to raise money to relocate a Confederate statue in Bastrop County. The Move Forward Virtual Music Fest was held on Monday and featured performances from almost 20 local and national acts, including The Chicks, whose music video for their song “March March” was prefaced by a message from band member Martie Maguire.

“We are so proud and happy to be supporting Move Forward Fest,” Maguire said. “It means relocating Confederate monuments and creating more welcoming and inclusive public spaces in our state.” The Bastrop County Monument Relocation Committee is raising funds to relocate two Confederate monuments on the grounds of the Bastrop County Courthouse — an obelisk featuring Confederate symbols that was erected in 1910 and a granite headstone erected in 1964 commemorating Joseph D. Sayers, a major in the Confederate army and the 22nd governor of Texas.

Monday’s event was organized by Cheryl Lee, who helped bring the effort to remove the statues to the Country Commissioners in July, and singer/songwriter Grace Pettis, who performed during the festival. The Commissioners approved the relocation, the goal of which is to maintain the statues’ historical significance while promoting inclusivity in the community.

“People may say it does no good, it’s not going to help, why move them, they’re just structures, that may be true for a lot of people, but for the Black community it’s a painful reminder of what our ancestors had to go through, and the fact that we still don’t have equal rights,” Lee explained to CBS Austin. She also praised The Chicks, who last summer changed their name from the Dixie Chicks to remove any association with the Confederacy.

“They’re authentic, it shows they’re not just saying it,” Lee said. “Just as moving these monuments is a gesture, it’s a gesture the fact they’re willing to remove that from their name and go by the chicks and publicly state that they’re doing so knowing they’re going to get the backlash they’re going to receive from some fans means a lot to me because that they’re willing to take the punches because they believe in the movement.”

The Austin-American Statesman reports that the festival raised $9,000 and received a donation match offer from a foundation that works with Bastrop County Cares, amounting to a total of $18,000 for the statue’s relocation. The removal will cost $50,000 in total, and the committee is now much closer to that amount. You can contribute to the fund on the Bastrop Confederate Monument Relocation Fund website.