When I was a boy from Ohio, my parents drove us to visit my Great Grandparents, who lived in Southwest Virginia. At home, in Mt. Gilead, some people laughed at my Grandmother's Southern accent. Some Ohioans spoke disparagingly of Southerners, and that was in the 1950s. I thought her expressions and phrases were interesting.
Driving through the South, I saw first-hand, signs that read, "Colored Only," "No Colored's Served," "Whites Only." I asked my parents about those signs and their meanings, and my Mom explained about segregation and discrimination in the context of that being wrong and hurtful.
Aware of the Civil War, my Dad pointed to historical battle sites along the way. We stopped at some, like the Shiloh Battlefield. I walked where dead men fell.
We stayed in Richmond, Virginia, the capital of the Confederacy, and I saw the statues of Confederate leaders. I learned that my ancestors were Confederate soldiers, and more than one lost their lives. I also learned that my George family ancestors fought for the Union.
It was embarrassing to me to know that part of my family were Confederates. However, it was a teaching-learning moment to visit history and seeing those places.
Later in my adulthood, living in Arlington, Virginia, I saw Lee's childhood home in Alexandria. I saw a Confederate soldier statue in the village. I visited Lee's home at Arlington National Cemetery, built on the grounds confiscated from Lee as an act of humiliation. That seemed fair and just.
I think erecting statues to honor or commemorate Confederate leaders was wrong from the start. Seceding from the Union was wrong and anti-American. There should have been no compromise in that understanding, yet there was.
Americans should not think of their government as their enemy, as it is our instrument to do our bidding under the Constitution. Individualism is what we cherish under the rule of law. Peaceful protests and championing liberty, equality, and justice is free expression. It is a part of our ability and capacity to communicate.
Our American history is uneven and flawed as we try to align our behavior with the ideals expressed in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. As a society, we are maturing by embracing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Yet, our citizen-population lags in education and maturity toward our pursuit.
Removing the historical symbols of our wretched past, those that glorify it is appropriate. However, erasing history without the memory and lessons will serve no purpose.
Image: The Washington Post
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