Blog #1 To Keep or Not to Keep

The United States of America, also known as the land of the free, serves as a country that not only grants more freedom and opportunity to all types of different individuals, but represents a place free of oppression and discrimination. Recently, the movement to remove statues erected in honor of confederate warriors and leaders has gained steam across southern America. With the rapid movement, an abundance of reactions from various groups, leaders, and citizens have sprout up. Protests, along with anti-protests sprout up all culminating into the recent action and ultimate tragedy in Charlottesville, North Carolina. Unfortunately, this whole tragedy ensued due to an outdated statue and the refrain from removal. Luckily, many have cities have stepped up to attempt to remove such statues honoring confederate soldiers and warriors, but, on the other hand, many have not. It's 2017. Slavery is over 150 years behind us, MLK's "I have a dream" speech is nearly 50 years in the past, and in our very own parks across America there are former confederate warriors standing on pedestals. It's time to make a change, as many have already done. The facts behind these statues speak for themselves. Most, if not all, erected years after the conclusion of the Civil War, were and are still not meant to honor those who fought tirelessly and gave their lives for their families and beliefs. These statues were not built with heart warming speeches by family members of those who were lost. On the contrary, the monuments were built as a symbol to all as to who truly reigned supreme. They were meant to intimidate and restate false truths, as they were erected just as the KKK gained more and more steam across the southern United States. Moreover, these statues are not about the people they depict and are meant to honor, but what they represent and what they represent is far from the ideals and ideologies of America today. These statues, in fact, represent the exact opposite of America today, as they embrace and mourn the confederacy's loss. As the New Orleans mayor Mitch Landrieu put it best, "These men did not fight for the United States of America, they fought against it...they were not patriots." Moreover, these statues send a symbol and put an ominous cloud over the cities that still have left them sitting tall and pretty. As mentioned formerly, these statues weren't built as memorials but a means to intimidate and instill fear; they were meant to display who was really in charge. Some mayors, however, have vouched to keep the monuments as a means to educate and ensure the history stays alive. This, however, is faulty logic. If these are a means to teach and not repeat why not have actual slave monuments. As Landrieu declared, "And it immediately begs the question, why there are no slave ships monuments, no prominent markers in public land to remember the lynchings...nothing to remember...the pain...the shame." Furthermore, how can it be explained to an African-American elementary school student why Robert E. Lee stands tall and pretty in his or her park. How is that to be explained? Case in point, it can not. With these statues, America is only divided and together as one is when we are at our best. Statues like such only further divide America as evident by the protests on both end. Why would white nationalist and supremacists fight for these statues if they didn't show a symbol of supremacy. The truth lies in itself. On the other hand, the same can be said. Why would anti-protesters fight for their removal if they didn't show hints of racism and supremacy that only divided us and our people. These statues not only display the worst in America, but they've brought the worst out of us. America, is a place for all and together we thrive better than ever. The refusal to remove statues commemorating white supremacist confederates only further divides us, but taking them down brings us one step closer to a land of freedom and equality for all.