Editor, Gazette-Journal:
In case you missed the 3 p.m. special meeting held on the Tuesday, Nov. 22, the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, let me share that the Mathews Board of Supervisors managed to circumvent the normal process to subdivide property the citizens of Mathews must follow. Instead, four of the five supervisors voted to waive the rules of the ordinance to subdivide the 21’ x 22’ plot of land on the historic property located under the controversial statue. They did this in less than 5 minutes.
They appeared quite proud of this feat as the approximately 10 citizens at the meeting sat in shocked silence. They were not given the regular opportunity to share their thoughts during the usual comment period before the start of the meeting. Instead, they were allowed to comment after four of the five supervisors voted in a roll call vote to subdivide this plot and thus clear the way to transfer ownership of the land /statue to what appears to be a proxy organization, The War Memorial Preservation, Inc.
You also missed the lecture the supervisors provided at the conclusion of the meeting where they seemed to explain the history of Mathews which included a description of the unveiling of the statue. Supervisor Walls bragged about the superior education he received in Alexandria, Virginia, while Supervisor Hudgins described how the people of Mathews County celebrated the unveiling while enjoying ice cream. Let me remind the supervisors, excluding Supervisor Reverend Doctor Melissa Mason, that very similar celebrations occurred during the lynchings and that this statue was unveiled during the Jim Crow era of terror. I’m quite certain there were no people of color in the picture Hudgins described. Supervisor Hudgins also remarked that we shouldn’t change history while four of the five supervisors did just that.
Instead of working on ways to unite our community, the Mathews Board of Supervisors, excluding Mason, have chosen to further divide the community. As I said during my comments, Shame.
Molly Broderson
North, Va.