Confederate statues in perspective

To put the Confederate monuments issue in perspective, consider these facts:

In 1619, Africans arrive in Virginia. In the early 1860s, the Civil War is fought over slavery, not the “Lost Cause” theory put forth by some historians who assert the war was about states’ rights. The 13th Amendment abolishes slavery in 1865. The Ku Klux Klan is formed. Laws attempt to address inequality, while some further segregation: Civil Rights Act of 1866, Reconstruction Act, 14th and 15th amendments, Jim Crow, and Civil Rights Acts of 1875, 1957, 1960, 1964 and 1968.

A surge in Confederate monuments occurred in the early 1900s, and again in the 1950s, coinciding with the civil-rights movement.

History currently is viewed through a single lens of paternalistic white males. In a recent “60 Minutes” segment about Confederate monuments, Julian Hayter, an African-American professor of leadership at the University of Richmond, suggests we “recontextualize.” He believes monuments are a part of our shared history and should stay; however, there should be signs, markers or text alongside so they can be viewed in a historically accurate context.

Susan Goldberg, the first female editor of National Geographic magazine, who is Jewish, is launching a year-long series examining how we view race and racism. In the April issue, a headline introduces the series: “For decades, our coverage was racist. To rise above our past, we must acknowledge it.” I agree.

Let’s acknowledge Confederate monuments represent white supremacy and were erected to disenfranchise descendants of slavery.

Pamela Bussey Lake Mary