Those who try to ignore or erase history are doomed to repeat it, no matter how controversial the history might be. That’s why a compromise in North Carolina to keep the statues, with a caveat, has been voted on.
The North Carolina Historical Commission voted 10-1 to not remove three Confederate monuments that are currently on state Capitol grounds in Raleigh.
According to an Associated Press (AP) article:
The commission agreed to keep three Confederate monuments on the state Capitol grounds while reinterpreting them with information on slavery and civil rights. It also recommended construction of a memorial to North Carolina black citizens.
A state Department of Cultural and Natural Resources spokeswoman said the commission and the department will work together to decide on language for markers.
I don’t see anything wrong with this as long as the language added to monuments are factual and not narrative-driven. History can only remain history if it’s accurate. Too many times we see history distorted to fit some kind of agenda. That can’t and shouldn’t happen here.
Spokesman for the North Carolina chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) Frank Powell said that “some comments indicate members of the North Carolina Historical Commission have personal agendas,” according to the AP article.
Whether they’re “personal agendas” of either the commission or the SCV, those agendas have no place on historical monuments. Make the monuments accurate so no one can argue the inscriptions.
The Daily Caller reported:
This decision comes less than two days after the ‘Silent Sam’ rebel statue was toppled by protesters at UNC’s Chapel Hill campus Monday night and also after NC Governor Roy Cooper called for the Confederate statues to be removed from public property. On Wednesday Cooper said “we can document and learn from our history without idolizing painful symbols,” according to the Associated Press. State law prohibits the removal or relocation of such monuments.
If N.C. state law “prohibits the removal or relocation of such monuments, is Cooper attempting to circumvent the law by inserting his personal agenda?
Bottom line? Cut the “agendas,” and stick to the facts.