Folt took a stand on Confederate statue
The monument in the heart of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus was a landmark, honoring former students who fought for the slave-holding Confederacy. But the Confederate statue became a lightning rod for Carol L. Folt, who led the university amid intense debate over the statue and was named Wednesday as the new president of USC.
Folt championed the removal of the statue, which sparked controversy across the state. The decision would play a role in her abrupt departure from the North Carolina campus.
The removal of the statue, known as Silent Sam, occurred amid a larger debate across the South over Confederate symbols. Other communities had removed statues, and there was debate in Chapel Hill about what to do with this one.
In 2018, protesters toppled the monument. It was placed in temporary storage and quickly became a flashpoint. In August, about a dozen people carrying Confederate flags were met by dozens of protesters. A violent clash ensued, and seven people were arrested.
The idea was to move the statue to a less prominent site as part of a larger exhibit that Folt described as a “truly strong interactive center that tells our full history of this university.”
The action brought cheers from many quarters on campus, and some said Folt was brave for taking a stand. But conservatives criticized her, including some on the board that oversaw the university. Folt, said the Sons of Confederate Veterans, “has effectively erased the contribution and sacrifice of these brave veterans and the tribute paid to them by subsequent generations.”
After the statue’s removal, Folt stunned many by announcing she would step down. She told the News & Observer that her resignation was not directly tied to the statue controversy.
“I was making these decisions somewhat separately,” she said. “This really was a decision I was making about my next step and the proper timing of that for the university.”
Trustees ended up having her leave months earlier than she had planned.