Tuesday, June 1, 2021, 11:30 AM – 1 PM EDT
Marilynne McKay, Professor Emerita of Dermatology, Emory University School of Medicine
“Historical Decisions: Monuments Gone with the Winds of Change”
The Southern Poverty Law Center has reported that in 2020, in the midst of COVID-19, 168 Confederate symbols were removed from public spaces, more than in the previous four years combined. All but one of those were removed after the murder of George Floyd by the Minneapolis police in May of that year. In a previous Colloquium (last summer’s “Monumental Decisions: The Origins and Messages of Confederate Memorials”), Marilynne explored the Big Lie of the Lost Cause—that slavery had nothing to do with the Civil War—and the reasons why Black Lives Matter protesters were toppling and defacing statues that represented white supremacy.
Confederate symbols are indeed being removed from public display, but the process hasn’t been trouble-free. How does a community make the decision to remove a century-old monument? Are there laws against that? What permissions must be obtained? How much will it cost? What is to be done with the darn thing afterward? (Few monuments are actually destroyed, but it’s not easy to find a home for an 11-foot equestrian statue.) Join us for a look at some of the shenanigans involved in the most recent raids on town squares and courthouse lawns and hear what tactics have been most successful in achieving a peaceful resolution to the complex issues and strong feelings that arise when symbols so laden with significance are the subject of debate—and action.