gmaToney 1

Sierra Toney

Professor Adams

FRST 101

27 September 2017

Current Event: Hometown

A white nationalist rally that turned violent in Charlottesville, Virginia brought renewed

attention to dozens of Confederate statues around the country. (Bidgood 2017) After the rally in

Charlottesville, conversations about Confederate monuments have tremendously increased.

Various cities around the United States began to realize that there are more Confederate statues

around that need to be taken down because these statutes no longer represent what the majority

of the citizens stand for.

Fast forwarding to a few days after this rally, in my hometown, Lexington, NC, there has

been controversial debates about the removal of a Confederate statue across from the old

courthouse. This particular statue honors the Confederate soldiers who died in the civil war. This

monument is of a Confederate soldier standing in full uniform wearing a hat and holding a rifle

in both hands. Under this soldier is a Confederate flag, blowing in the wind.

This monument is nearly 112 years old and attention has just recently been brought to it

by The Dispatch, a local newspaper of Lexington. The Dispatch published an article titled Local

leaders offer opinions on Lexingtons Confederate statue. In this article, the Vice President of

Toney 2
 the Lexington Branch of the NAACP states that the statue doesnt really represent us at

all. In response to this article, many citizens, particularly whites, attacked the newspaper for

making the monument an issue. They feel as if it hasnt been an issue for 112 years so why is it

now an issue.

I agree with this, however, we have to face the reality that it has been brought to the

attention of the citizens of Lexington and is now an issue that we need to resolve. Although this

should not be made into a racial issue, it ultimately is. Yes, it is a part of our history and our

history is what have bought us thus far. Now, we are in a position where instead of progressing

we are letting history repeat itself. When we begin to let history repeat itself, it becomes an issue.

The people that are against the removal of the statue tend to share the same views of the idea of

white supremacy. Although it is not explicitly stated, it can be implicitly inferred.

I only agree that these statutes should be viewed or referenced in museum or textbooks,

when one chooses to learn about history. As far as state property is concerned, it is apart of our

history, meaning it is something we can not change, however, for some it can be offensive and

should not be a monument. I have always believed that monuments represent something positive

or something that was good for the majority of people. As stated before, we know that history

remains the same, but times have changed. If we are constantly reminded of this history, people

will not feel a need to change, which is a problem of its own. Change is a good thing today,

change is what will make our country evolve into a better whole.

As a solution, this statute does not have to be destroyed, it can be placed in the local

history museum. Where it sits now, in the middle of our towns square, is saying that Lexington

Toney 3
once or still does honor white supremacy. This current placement of the statue represents a part

of history that is still painful for many African-Americans. If it is placed into the history

museum, we as citizens would understand and remember that it is apart of our history and not an

actual representation of what the citizens of Lexington stand for.

Toney 4

Works Cited
Coley, Ben. Local leaders offer opinions on Lexington's Confederate statue. The Dispatch, The
Dispatch, 25 Sept. 2017, www.the-dispatch.com/news/20170816/local-leaders-offer-opinions-
on-lexingtons-confederate-statue. Accessed 25 Sept. 2017.

Time to talk about our Confederate statue. The Dispatch, The Dispatch, 17 Aug. 2017,
www.the-dispatch.com/opinion/20170817/time-to-talk-about-our-confederate-statue. Accessed
25 Sept. 2017.

Fortin, Jacey. The Statue at the Center of Charlottesvilles Storm. The New York Times, The
New York Times, 13 Aug. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/08/13/us/charlottesville-rally-protest-
statue.html?mcubz=0. Accessed 25 Sept. 2017.

Bidgood, Jess. Confederate Monuments Are Coming Down Across the United States. Heres a
List. The New York Times, The New York Times, 16 Aug. 2017,
www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/08/16/us/confederate-monuments-removed.html?mcubz=0.
Accessed 25 Sept. 2017.