The Ugliest Confederate Statue in the World: Jack Kershaw, Pt. 1

The Ugliest Confederate Statue in the World: Jack Kershaw, Pt. 1

From Weird Little Guys by iHeartPodcasts and Cool Zone Media

April 2, 2026 · 38 min

About this episode

The episode discusses Jack Kershaw's controversial life and his infamous Confederate statue.

Jack Kershaw created his most famous piece of art in his 80s. His lifelong passion for the arts had to take a backseat when he shifted his focus to becoming a professional racist during the fight against integration. He was doing it for his confederate ancestors, he would often say. But he was never very specific about who exactly his ancestors were... The It Could Happen Here episode mentioned, originally aired 2/22/2024 - https://open.spotify.com/episode/1ZQAqsxImsNGQUTzHGKhNp Sources: https://thesewaneepurple.org/2021/03/23/polk-sculpture-donated-by-white-supremacist-jack-kershaw/ https://thesewaneepurple.org/2021/03/22/polk-sculpture-removed-by-student-taken-to-archives/ https://meridiana.sewanee.edu/2022/04/30/a-year-later-a-letter-of-explanation/ https://www.moca.org/collection/work/unmanned-drone https://religiondispatches.org/2025/10/28/swords-plowshares https://www.sipcville.com/ https://www.vpm.org/news/2026-03-23/swords-into-plowshares-cville-jefferson-school-designs-hood-push-mass https://www.vpm.org/news/2024-05-23/swords-into-plowshares-robert-e-lee-statue-charlottesville-centennial…

Topics covered

  • art
  • racism
  • Confederate history
  • integration
  • sculpture
  • true crime

Keywords

  • Jack Kershaw
  • Confederate statue
  • racism
  • integration
  • art
  • sculpture
  • true crime

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: iHeartPodcasts, Cool Zone Media

Books & works: The Ugliest Confederate Statue in the World

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