Proper perspective
The past speaks
Regarding “Let’s rid ourselves of Confederate statue” (Page A15, Monday), in the author’s statement arguing in favor of the removal of “The Spirit of the Confederacy” statue, he puts forward a valid argument against the negative history of the United States that includes slavery and racism.
However, he must remember that even though slavery and racism against African-Americans has existed since the beginnings of American history to the 20th century, it is still part of our history.
History cannot be changed because it has already happened. We can, however, change how we feel about it and how we can learn from it. We can admire and condemn whoever we want in history. We admire the courageous Martin Luther King Jr. because of his fight for civil rights for African-Americans, and we condemn President Richard Nixon for his untrustworthy attributes in office, including the Watergate scandal. The negative history that surrounds the United States shapes us today as a society and encourages us to learn and better ourselves.
The statues can be perceived as glorifying our negative history. Instead, we should glorify the hard work and perseverance of many who fight against oppression. Joe Nguyen, Houston
History’s impact
The author is justified in condemning the statue “The Spirit of the Confederacy.” Since its arrival in 1908, it has never promoted justice or equality. However, simply taking down the statute does nothing but make people ignorant of history.
Today, citizens of Houston must acknowledge that former inhabitants of Texas and many of their ancestors owned slaves or promoted slavery. Houstonians must speak out against racist hate groups today.
But tearing down every Confederate statute or any statue of a person who supported slavery, including those of our Founding Fathers, will not help to destroy hate.
If anything, the statue helps to remind that our history affects our modern world. Luke Read, Bellaire
Bigger issues
We cannot erase the history of our country just because we do not agree with it, or else we will end up wiping out the true account of the past. These statues, along with Union ones, represent what happened in the history of our country — the Civil War. They are part of our heritage. They are also works of art that enhance the appearance of parks, museums and other public places.
Our country has become way too politically correct with many people being ridiculed for their viewpoints even though our country was founded on the basis that we shall be allowed to have our own unique opinions.
The bottom line is that we have bigger issues in this country than to worry about statues that show the deep history and heritage of our nation. Cooper Cavender, Houston