Journalists John Eligon and Trymaine Lee recently toured Southern states to take a measure of attitudes toward preserving the history of the Confederacy and slavery. Among those interviewed were descendants of enslavers, including Jefferson Davis, and enslaved. Opinions expressed include: “You can take his [Jefferson Davis] statues down . . . but they’ll never destroy the legend of the man,” and “It’s a reminder of hatred and all the wrongdoings that’s been done against African-Americans. . . . I do believe they have a right to their history, but not at the sake of ours. If you’re going to write part of the story, write the whole story. Tell what you did.” To read Eligon article, click here.
Touring the Deep South, Where the Confederacy Is Set in Stone
by lindaoppenheim | Aug 16, 2018 | Article, Truth and Reconciliation | 1 comment
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That was a very interesting read. I guess if I have to be on a side, I would have to say that education is needed and with that being said, we should not tear down the past as we need to see these things to remind us of the past so that we are not doomed to repeat them again. There is so much in our society that people are willing to forget and forego for that matter. I feel that is why we are here today. The past teaches us and reminds us. With that being said, I agree with the woman in the article who said that “It’s a reminder of hatred and all the wrongdoings that’s been done against African-Americans,” Ms. Jones says of Confederate symbols. “I do believe they have a right to their history, but not at the sake of ours. If you’re going to write part of the story, write the whole story. Tell what you did.”
The whole truth and nothing but the truth we should all be striving to tell and unearth. So much of the history of the black man and woman has been obliterated and it is now evident that as a people, we need to know that history so that we can be whole as a race, no color, just a race of people living on this earth trying to survive. If we continue the way we are going, all will suffer, not just the blacks, all people and as a matter of fact, that is some of what we are seeing now. The past needs to be unearthed so that we can learn from it and move on.