History belongs to the survivors, too

Watching the Black Lives Matter protests and debates about Civil War statues from the distance of New Mexico — where our ethnic and racial divides are real and deep but hardly black and white — affords us the ability to avoid hard discussions.

Take down statues of Civil War Gen. Robert E. Lee? Yes. Rename military bases named after secessionists who fought the Union to protect evil slavery? Change them. Stop using the Confederate flag, which serves as a not-so-subtle bow to white supremacy? Done!

From our vantage point, those are obvious solutions.

We understand these are symbols only. Progress is needed apart from symbols, and real change must be implemented in stopping systemic racism throughout society. Still, symbols can make a difference in how children perceive their place in the world. Black soldiers preparing to fight and possibly die for their country should not have to train at a base named for a racist.

The South did not fight for states’ rights; it fought to keep black people enslaved, and that ugly history must be exposed.

And while we provide context for our whitewashed history, we can start as a nation honoring men and women from all backgrounds who represent our best selves, not our worst.

That’s easy to see from hundreds of miles away.

But in New Mexico, we have a different sort of accounting to do, one that is long overdue and necessary. As with so much in our historic state, there are layers upon layers to sift through. Here, it’s not black and white, for the most part.

We predict the first statue and tributes to fall will be those honoring Don Juan de Oñate, the Spanish conquistador who established the colony of New Mexico. In fact, his statue was taken down Monday, apparently to protect it as demands grow for its removal. The Rio Arriba County Commission announced on Facebook that, “a final policy decision has not been made about the Oñate statue other than its removal today to protect it from damage or destruction.” The discussion ahead will be brutal, but opinions don’t erase the fact that Oñate is unworthy of tribute.

Along the way to settling New Mexico, Oñate committed atrocities at Acoma Pueblo and eventually was tried for his actions as governor and found guilty on a number of counts. By the standards of his time, Oñate was judged and found wanting.

It is possible to be proud of the accomplishment of Spanish settlers who survived in a harsh land without wanting to honor a cruel man; Native activists have been seeking the removal of the statue for years. It is a painful reminder of loss and cruelty.

Focusing only on relations between Hispanos and Natives, though, is only part of the story. In the town of Taos, there have been recurring discussions about whether too many local spots are named for Indian killer Kit Carson. An important figure in our Wild West history, Carson has a dark side. Perhaps he should not be erased, but neither should his be the name lifted above all.

Another point of contention is the obelisk in the middle of the Santa Fe Plaza, dedicated in 1868 to those who fought in the Civil War and to those who fell in battles with “savage” Indians in the New Mexico territory. The word “savage” has been scratched, though; that happened in 1974, but many remain offended. There is a plaque up to explain the context for the monument; it was put up at the end of battles when emotions were still raw. Because of the Plaza’s status as a National Historic Landmark, it’s unclear whether it could be removed even if the city of Santa Fe wanted to do so.

The point of all this is to understand that the story of race in America is not just black and white. The hard conversations we must have to end racism and change how we deal with one another must happen in Santa Fe as surely as they do in South Carolina. It’s not about removing statues or monuments, it’s about expanding the historic record to include details about all sorts of people. Honor fewer soldiers or generals, perhaps, and more individuals from all backgrounds who have enriched society.

Back in 2017, when people were upset about white supremacist marches in Virginia and local protests were occurring against portions of Fiesta de Santa Fe, thenMayor Javier Gonzales enlisted a study of who and what was being celebrated in Santa Fe. It might be time to dust off the study and look for ways to tell a richer story of our past through public art or monuments. Maybe in a world where the historic record is expanded, the statue of Oñate becomes part of a broader story about what actually happened in the settling of New Mexico by Europeans, with the story of the Acoma told nearby.

History shouldn’t be written only by the winners. It can be written by survivors, too, the descendants of people with time and space to — finally — set the record straight.