Press "Enter" to skip to content

Letter: Monuments should be on private property

Editor, Gazette-Journal:

Public monuments are erected in public spaces for a reason. They are a way to honor the sacrifices and selfless efforts of citizens in our community and nation. They also help us remember innocent victims of circumstances, natural or man-made. They unite us.

Civil War monuments such as the one in our courthouse circle do not. They benefit only the descendants of those who fought for the South in the Civil War: a devastating conflict instigated under the banner of state’s rights. Essentially, the claimed rights of wealthy slave owners. These monuments ignore slavery and its toll on the lives of millions upon millions of Africans brought to the United States against their will. Former enslaved people and their descendants were not included in any discussion or decision regarding these monuments when they were erected.

These monuments have a place on private not public property.

Leonne ArsenovicGloucester, Va.
...

To view the rest of this article, you must log in. If you do not have an account with us, please subscribe here.