by Simone E., Editor-in-Chief Here’s your update on what’s going on in the United States with coveted dead memorials:
If you haven’t heard of the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, VA: there was a statue of Robert E. Lee (top army commander of Confederate States of America), the city of Charlottesville decided to remove said statue, white nationalists then banded together over this and during the rally, proceeded to say racially controversial statements that included, but is not limited to, various chants that paid homage to Hitler. One day after that rally, the Mayor of Baltimore, Catherine Pugh, in the “best interest of [the] city,” (Fandos, Goldman & Bidgood, 2017) decided to remove Confederate monuments “under the cloak of darkness,” (at night). Mayor Pugh’s decision may have prevented a nationalist rally, such as the one in Virginia, but how does this affect you, a student at UTC? It turns out that we are being directly affected by this white nationalist “movement,” if you will. All over the South, confederate monuments and statues are being removed. While Chattanooga may not have any confederate statues or monuments, Mayor Andy Berke decided to renounce Chattanooga’s confederate cemetery: a cemetery that is technically on campus. If you go to the UC at all throughout the week, you’d be less than a block away from a cemetery memorializing people who didn’t fight for the rights of those with a little extra melanin. Chattanooga is currently moving to renounce its position as a trustee of the cemetery. Mayor Berke stated: “While we honor our dead, we do not honor the principle for which they fought. Our city should be invested in our future, not a discredited past. Confederates fought against America to preserve slavery. That is the truth, and we should no longer subsidize any myths to the contrary" (Times Free Press Staff Report, 2017). I think that this is the most important thing to remember. Yes, we should honor our dead. People died, and that’s not something that should be taken lightly, but we don’t have to honor everything that they fought for. Yes, we should be proud of our heritage; however, the heritage that is often celebrated in the South, is a heritage that was more hurtful than not. What do you do now? What can you do about this? How does this affect you? The first thing that you can do is educate yourself. Don’t just read this article and take my word for it. If you want more information, look it up. For bi-partisan news, my World Politics professor recommends the New York Times and BBC. The Chattanooga Times Free Press is great for Chattanooga News. This affects you because the cemetery is directly across the street from you when you’re on campus. This affects you because you go to class with people who may feel threatened by this issue. This affects you because you never know who you’ll encounter tomorrow or even in the far future. Once you figure out that this does affect you, either directly or indirectly, you can show your support in various ways. You can attend rallies, you can show your support online, or in person. Write a letter or maybe start a conversation. Don’t let this be the only time that you think about this issue. If it was important enough for white nationalists to shout “heil Hitler,” then it’s important enough for you to get educated on it. References: Sheryl Stolberg and Brian Rosenthal. (2017, August 12). Man Charged After White Nationalist Rally in Charlottesville Ends in Deadly Violence. Retrieved September 20, 2017, from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/12/us/charlottesville-protest-white-nationalist.html?mcubz=0 Nicholas Fandos, Russell Goldman and Jess Bidgood. (2017, August 16). Baltimore Mayor Had Statues Removed in ‘Best Interest of My City’. Retrieved September 19, 2017, from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/16/us/baltimore-confederate-statues.html?mcubz=0 N/A. (2017, August 18). Chattanooga seeks to renounce Confederate cemetery. Retrieved September 19, 2017, from http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/breakingnews/story/2017/aug/18/chattanooga-seeks-renounce-confederate-cemetery/444290/
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December 2018
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