JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) Crews removed a Confederate monument from a Jacksonville, Florida, park Wednesday morning following years of public controversy.

Mayor Donna Deegan ordered the removal of the Tribute to the Women of the Southern Confederacy monument, which has been in Springfield Park since 1915. She said the decision is not an attempt to erase history but to show that people have learned from it.

Symbols matter. They tell the world what we stand for and what we aspire to be, Deegan said in a statement . By removing the confederate monument from Springfield Park, we signal a belief in our shared humanity. That we are all created equal. The same flesh and bones. The same blood running through our veins. The same heart and soul.