Blog #1: Shameful Monuments

          We find ourselves in the midst of a long debate that has divided our country as to what should be done with the many monuments of Confederate soldiers that are scattered throughout the South. Recently, the debate has become a more severe issue which has sparked protest and violence around the country, as some state and city officials have begun to remove these statues. What has prompted many governors and mayors to take this action was the 2015 Charleston Church shooting perpetrated by a white supremacist, and even more recently, the violent rally of hate in Charllotesville, Virginia just last week. Those in favor of removing the statues argue that these statues honor men who fought for slavery and represent a movement that believes in the oppression of African-Americans. Statues like these simply empower the racists of today who revere the confederate soldiers, and thus regardless of how mayors want the statues to be viewed, they must be removed. On the other hand, others argue that while the confederate soldiers should not be honored, we can't remove the statues as they are an important of history that must be remembered. Many state officials are hesitant to, "erase" their history, which they believe occurs with the removal of the statues.
      Personally, I absolutely agree with those who have called for the removal of the statues. It's true that this is part of the history of many southern states, but there are other ways to preserve this ugly part of their history. These are statues which were built in the 1900s in response to the Jim Crow laws and the Civil Rights Movement as a way of keeping the cause of the Confederacy alive, and to keep them standing tall in the parks of southern America would be an affront specifically to African-Americans but also to every American who has stood behind them in the fight for equality. Not removing these statues which represent hate and inequality would be keeping those harmful messages alive instead of facing them and putting them to rest once and for all. Confederate statues should not be seen as important monuments of history. Rather, they should be seen as shameful monuments that empower white supremacists by their very existence. By taking down these shameful monuments, the states would be conveying to their people the message that the white supremacist movement needs to come to an end, and everyone needs to recognize that the period of oppression of African-Americans was an ugly part of America's history, not something that should be placed on a pedestal in state parks. If states want to remember this disturbing part of their history, they can have museums which tell the story of slavery and segregation in southern America. They don't need to leave up the hateful statues which empower white supremacists and offend so many citizens of this wonderful country.
       This is an important moment in American history when southern states will have to decide if they are ready to take a much needed step in the fight against white supremacy and racism which continues to divide our country and be an obstacle in the great progress that we've been trying to make.