"Who are we then to take away the honor they earned through blood. We didn't bestowe it on them and we have no right to remove it. What we have been given is the sacred duty to protect and preserve this honor for future generations."
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| Author at 2016 N. C. Capitol Independence Day program to Honor North Carolina Confederate Soldiers |
When I pass the beautiful monuments on the Capitol grounds, I recognize that citizens of North Carolina deliberately placed these here to recognize the sacrifices and contributions of individuals or groups who made significant contributions to our state. The relative importance of these contributions to our contemporary lifestyle is not what matters. WE have surely moved beyond these foundational events to achieve even greater success for our citizens. What is important to me is that these monuments allow us to honor and respect those that came before us to help us be where we are today. We should collectively be able to see these monuments in a place of honor, in the public square, as a way to drive us forward to make our own contributions to society. Our citizens should be looking forward to find ways to improve our community. Looking backward and trying to edit the past to make it less painful does not in any way make our future more promising. If these statutes cause some of us pain, than that should be used as a catalyst for ideas to change the future, not whitewash the past.
When I look at the monuments on the Capitol grounds I see young men with purpose and honor in their lives, whether I'm looking at the Vietnam memorial, the WWI monuments or the Confederate monuments. I honestly don't see white supremacists rallying modern day citizens to return to an antebellum culture of slavery. What I see are ordinary, scared, young farm boys who answered the call of their state to pick up arms in her defense.
Don't forget, the Confederate Monument is dedicated to North Carolina Soldiers who fought for the Confederacy. North Carolinians that answered the request of their state leaders to serve honorably. How can our state leaders now ignore this honorable service by its citizens?
After suffering through four years of unimaginable hardship, danger and brutal war, these boys became the proud, honorable men that did their best and were honored for their achievements by their fellow citizens. Many went on to achieve great things for our state as leaders in the highest positions in both the private and public sectors.
If you take the time to walk through the solemn white Confederate headstones in Oakwood, ask yourself, how many of these soldiers, many of whom made the ultimate sacrifice, actually owned a slave? The answer, for most, is that they didn't!
Who are we then to take away the honor they earned through blood. We didn't bestowe it on them and we have no right to remove it. What we have been given is the sacred duty to protect and preserve this honor for future generations.
As a taxpayer, I certainly think my money can be better spent than wasting it to appease a vocal minority. Please leave the Monuments alone. The law protects them, but more importantly it is our generation's duty to protect them for the future.
submitted to the NC Historical Commision Monuments committee on 4/10/2018
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