Salisbury Confederate Monument Sparks Debate
[gtxvideo vid=”rvbzG8Mr” playlist=”” pid=”Bbt3TRDe” thumb=”http://player.gtxcel.com/thumbs/rvbzG8Mr.jpg” vtitle=”salisbury monument”]
CHARLOTTE, NC — A bill making it more difficult to remove or relocate state monuments, including Confederate monuments, is sitting on Governor McCrory’s desk. It passed the state legislature Tuesday. The bill was passed through the Senate several weeks before the deadly Charleston church shooting, and all the controversy surrounding the Confederate flag.
That decision came down just hours before the Salisbury City Council held a public forum to discuss a controversy surrounding the Confederate monument in the heart of downtown. The statue has been there for more than 100 years, representing very different things.
“Eight of my family served in the Confederate Army from 1861 to 1865,” said one speaker. “Out of the eight, none returned home.”
“My grandfather was sold, or given away, as a wedding present,” said another.
Different sides of the same history. For some, the Confederate memorial in downtown Salisbury is a proud marker to those who served.
“That history, like it, love it, that’s who we are,” said Salisbury resident Chris Boardman. “It’s every much white America as it is black America, as it is Hispanic America. That statue represents who we are as a nation.”
For many others, the statue is a hurtful reminder of years of racism and hate. The Salisbury city council held a public forum Tuesday afternoon to discuss the controversial statue, drawing a packed house with more than 40 people speaking their minds.
“I believe our ancestors want us to honor them,” said Rev. Robin Tanner. “And I believe they also hope that we can do better than them.”
“Dialogue is more than one person,” said another speaker. “All I’ve been hearing is monologuing. People that, as soon as that lady said “white privilege” people got up and left. That’s not dialogue. You’re supposed to be here to hear her out.”
No one asked to have the statue taken down, but it was pointed out that years of racial division have hurt the community both socially and economically. Latin writing on the monument proclaims “glory to the vanquished, glory to the crushed”.
“As we come together and we dialogue about the statue, I want to pose this fundamental question right now for this time, for this year in 2015: Who are the crushed now? Who are the vanquished now?”
There have been demonstrations both for and against the “Fame” statue in Salisbury. The city council says they do not have the authority to move or take down that monument.
