SILENT SAM MATTERS. BUT ITS LOCATION DOES NOT
As part of a message sent to the Chapel Hill community on Friday,
August 31, under-fire school Chancellor Carol L. Folt issued a
statement attempting to explain the increasingly toxic situation of
the Silent Sam memorial. For those who are unfamiliar with the
conflict that is currently consuming the picturesque college town of
Chapel Hill, Silent Sam was a bronze statue erected on the campus at
Chapel Hill depicting a Confederate soldier. During recent years, the
racial and social tensions surrounding the statue have exploded as the
true symbolism of the statue has been hotly contested by proponents
from each side of the debate. These tensions reached their climax on
Monday, August 21, when protesters at a rally toppled the statue and
completely severed the connection between the statue and the pedestal
upon which it stood. However, although the physical aspect of the
statue may have been forcibly removed
from the grounds of the university, the specter of the statue still
looms around Chapel Hill as the debate over what to do now with the
statue rapidly escalates.
Fast forward to the present, and
the university finds itself in the middle of a monumental crossroads
that will go a long way in dictating the public perception of the
university as an institution. On one hand, supporters who favor the
removal of the statue assert that the presence of Silent Sam only
serves as a continuous reminder for the racism that has plagued our
region throughout history and threatens to still unravel our community
in the present. Rather than try to protect and improve the quality of
life for the students at the university, opposition to the statue
highlights the tremendous amount of money and resources used to
protect a useless chunk of rock as opposed to a living student.
However, on the flip side. supporters of the statue draw attention to
the profound history of the statue and point out how the monument of
Silent Sam is literally intertwined the history and fabric of the
university. Rather than symbolize hatred and racism, some supporters
of the statue highlight the heritage the statue provides and how this
link to the past can allow us to correct the mistakes made for the
future.
Near the bottom of the statement that Chancellor
Folt sent out on Friday, the chancellor unveiled some crucial pieces
of information regarding the future of the statue that could have
major ramifications for the Orange County area. When discussing the
topic of whether or not the statue will be re-erected, Chancellor Folt
wrote that “Silent Sam has a place in our history and on our campus
where its history can be taught, but not at the front door of a public
research university”. This statement seems to suggest that the
intended plan for the statue is to move it from its former location at
McCorkle Place near Franklin Street to a different location on campus
that is less visible and more remote. Before this conversation
continues any farther, it should be acknowledged that Chancellor Folt
is truly in a no-win scenario that forces her to make difficult
decisions that will inevitably anger certain groups. Considering how
heavily charged the atmosphere is both in Chapel Hill and in the
nation in general, whatever decision that the Chancellor settles on
will be met with equal amounts of criticism and praise.
However, the rumored decision of reinstalling the statue
on a different part of campus makes little sense and would be blind
towards the reasons why people feel so emotionally invested in the
statue in the first place. Whether the statue is located on the front
door of campus or in the middle of a dumpster behind the dining hall,
people will still flock to the statue because it embodies certain
beliefs and values that some people are willing to sacrifice
everything for if it means that these values will either be conserved
or eradicated. Protesters and violence will still follow the statue,
regardless of whether or not it is moved. Rather than make a decisive
decision that would at least bring an end to the situation, it appears
that the administration at the university is simply starting the same
cycle to repeat all over again.