Carrie.
Having had all southern ancestors in the War Between the States, I have been raised to be proud of how valiantly they fought for their States’ rights. Throughout my life, I have been active in many organizations whose missions are to honor those that fought for the Confederacy. I have struggled with my southern pride all my life. My membership in these organizations was always to honor my ancestors and celebrate my Southern heritage.
However, should I be proud to be Southern? I want to honor my ancestors. Their bravery in war and commitment to family and maintaining their way of life admirable. But . . . I am sad that in their day, the owning of other people was part of maintaining that way of life. I am hopeful that they treated those people they owned with dignity, which sounds impossible when said in the same sentence. I have no way to know how those slaves were treated or how they felt. I only have family stories of “mammies” and “uncles” who were referred to fondly. Regardless of how fond they were of their slaves, they were not free, and for that I am sorry.
I am even more sorry for the racism that has been handed down from generation to generation in my family and so many other families across our country. I wish my interactions with people had never been tainted by that racism, but I know they have. I make a conscious effort to suppress those feelings and approach situations as unbiased as I can.
The racism living in me, and most of us, if we are honest, is so much more hurtful than any statue, monument, street name, or flag. However, if removing the symbols that glorify the old south and idolize those that attempted to save it upset others, are they worth having? Do they make me feel more Virginian or more southern? Not really.
I think it is time we remove them from public spaces. These spaces are for everyone, and everyone should be valued and celebrated as a member of our society. I believe it is time to move forward, and put the past where it belongs – in the history books. We do not need to memorialize a bygone era. Rather, we should learn about it, study it and analyze it, so that we never let our country become so divided again and always put humanity first.
