What likely started as a joke on Twitter has started to gain real traction and support among West Virginians. A young lady named Brenna posted a comment on Twitter recently saying, “I’m starting a petition to replace every confederate statue with The Mothman.”
starting a petition to replace every confederate statue with mothman pic.twitter.com/jIv7Vt9VO2
— Brenna (@HumanBrennapede) June 8, 2020
She went on to say, “There are over 1,500 confederate monuments still up – most of which were constructed during the rise of Jim Crow and the disenfranchisement of black Americans — and more in the late 1940s in response to the desegregation.”
Ever since her Tweet has gone viral, several petitions on Change.org have been posted. One petition reads, “The Confederate Statues should not represent our country. The Robert E. Lee statue is already being removed. Why not fill that space with a statue of Mothman? Mothman is the first urban legend to denounce racism and oppression. Mothman is the perfect candidate to replace Robert E. Lee and any other Confederate Statues.
This petition is not the only form of protest against the Confederate Statues that fill The United States of America. Call your Representatives, Senators, Governors, and Mayors. Contact local councils too. These Confederate Statues have put a stain on the country and Mothman is a great alternative.”
https://www.change.org/p/west-virginia-state-senate-change-every-confederate-statue-to-a-mothman-statue
According to West Virginia folklore, the Mothman is a creature reportedly seen in the Point Pleasant area from November 12, 1966, to December 15, 1967. Multiple “witnesses” described the Mothman as having glowing red eyes and ten-foot wings.”
Many West Virginians believe that replacing divisive statues of Confederate soldiers with the state’s most prominent paranormal figure would be the best way to bring the people of the state together.
