Delaware removes state's last whipping post on public grounds
Historians say black people were disproportionately persecuted
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The last whipping post left in the state of Delaware was removed from the grounds of a courthouse Wednesday after protesters decried the history of racial injustice the post symbolized.
The state-owned post, which was used to flog people as punishment for their crimes until 1952, had been on display outside the Old Sussex County Courthouse for nearly three decades.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In this undated photo from the Delaware Division of Historical & Cultural Affairs, a whipping post is displayed on the grounds of the Old Sussex County Courthouse near the Circle in Georgetown, Del. (Delaware Division of Historical & Cultural Affairs via AP)
It was excavated and removed from the premise and has been placed in storage with other historic artifacts.
“Such relics of the past should be placed in museums to be preserved and protected for those who want to remember the cruel, inhuman, barbarous acts perpetrated on our citizens,” said Reba Hollingsworth, vice-chair of the Delaware Heritage Commission.
To bolster cries for the post to be removed, historians have pointed to the fact that blacks were disproportionately persecuted and punished by whipping and other public humiliation methods.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Protesters across the country have revived the debate to remove a number of historical artifacts shrouded in negative racial undertones -- including statutes of politicians, former presidents, Confederate soldiers, and more -- following the death of George Floyd.
Floyd, an unarmed black man, died in police custody on Memorial Day after a former Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for over eight minutes.
His death sparked a national movement towards ending police brutality against blacks and minorities and moving the needle forward on achieving racial equality.
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Delaware became the last state in the country to abolish whipping posts and outlaw state-sanctioned public beatings in 1972.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.