People want these monuments removed. They don't seem to care where they go or what happens to them, but in a country where we all want to be able to honor our history and heritage, we have to provide some kind of plan for incorporating these things into our national history, because the Civil War did happen, and millions of men did die in it.
As a student of history, I understand that movements don't just die out when a generation does. People's emotions and feelings are real on both sides, and even those who we feel shouldn't have an opinion in the matter, do.
Statues in New Orleans have come down, and just yesterday the City of Baltimore removed their 4 confederate monuments overnight as a result of what happened in Charlottesville over the weekend. But what are we to do here in Virginia? In Richmond there's a place called Monument Avenue, where 5 Confederate generals are honored with monuments that line a 5 mile long street near the center of the city. It's a beautiful place, but does it really honor people that we want to honor in 2017, considering all we know about our history as a divided country, and the kinds of people these monuments draw to them for rallies and protests.
These monuments don't really bother me, because I know they represent a dying segment of America that still carried hatred and bigotry in their hearts towards people who are different in color, sex, or religious affiliation. But I understand that these monuments offend many people and they have to deal with these things as part of the public space of whatever city they reside in or work in. Richmond was the capitol of the Confederacy, but I wonder if even Richmond still has a good reason to continue the glorification of people who lost a war, and who basically stood on the wrong side of humanity when it comes to slavery and the promotion of the institution as a cultural and national necessity.
As the debate continues on TV, social media, on college campuses across the country and in people's homes and workplaces, I hope that we can see that there comes a time when things must change. Things we once felt allowable sometimes become outdated or out of touch with the larger society as generations pass on and the world of their children becomes more diverse and inclusive.
What happened in Charlottesville was fucked up. (To put it plainly) Hopefully there can be some positive change that comes from the tragedies that occurred there over the weekend. Now that this issue has been catapulted onto the world's stage again, I hope it creates a real movement that has some real meaning and action.
And if there are any "good people" on the side of those who want these monuments to stay put, I encourage you to voice your opinion clearly. If you don't stand for hate a bigotry, what exactly do you and your beloved Confederacy stand for? If you feel so strongly about the cause that your ancestors died for, can you at least try to understand with those of us who come from those people who were enslaved by the South, and the White people who fought on the side of the Union who also died and lost loved ones. We all have a say in this matter because this country is supposed to belong to all of us, not just those of us who yell the loudest and carry tiki torches.
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