Date: Sun, 14 Apr 2019 11:45:50 -0400
From: sheila joyce
Subject: Monument Discussion
I’m new to Chatham County having moved from Chapel Hill May 2018 to Fearrington Village. But I have family who lived in western North Carolina over 150 years ago and fought in the Civil War for the confederacy. Another branch of the family fought for the confederacy in Virginia – three died, one lived while another member left Va and went to Ohio and fought for the Union.
These facts about my lineage give me *no more right to an opinion *on the subject of the confederate monument in Pittsboro than any other citizen.
We are all citizens of Chatham County, and North Carolina and the UNITED States of America.
When we go to cast a vote for an individual running for public office, those voters who have lived in a town longer than others do not have their vote given greater weight. Each vote is counted the same.
Similarly each person’s opinion on the confederate statue in Pittsboro should be welcomed and heard regardless of how long they have lived here or where they lived previously. The Civil War and slavery are a part of every American citizens history, it does not belong to one group more than another. In 2019 we should be willing to let go of these false boundaries and respect everyone’s opinion.
It would be beneficial if we all considered the context and the facts regarding when and why this statue was erected along with other similar statues. The history of the statue should not ignored nor should the facts around what prompted the Civil War. An excellent book to fully understand the political turmoil around the issue of slavery is *Team of Rivals* by Goodwin. This detailed telling of the decade leading up to the Civil War makes it absolutely clear based on printed records of that time, that the issue was slavery – keeping in bondage.
If there is a desire to recognize those who suffered before, during & after the Civil War, what is the most appropriate way to recognize and honor the more than 100 African-Americans who were lynched in North Carolina, several in Chatham County, between 1877 to 1950. An article in the *Indy* (2/11/15) presents these facts along with those about the beatings and the raping of African-Americans and burning of their churches in Chatham County during this period.
Personally I’m not someone who has an interest in glorifying war or minimizing the enormous loss and suffering caused by war by believing that a statue is sufficient. But if some type of memorial is wanted it should be one that recognizes the suffering and loss of all who lived at that time, and not one that was erected to reinforce white supremacy.
Thank you. Sheila Creth