Elected officials failed to take stand against white supremacy symbol

TO THE EDITOR:

Recent coverage by staff at The Paper regarding the continued presence of the Confederate monument in downtown Morganton has been laudable and informative – especially their willingness to request local elected officials weigh in on the matter. 

While a few of these leaders offered reasonable compromises, several responses were evasive and passionless. And at least one was disingenuous. 

Our supposed leaders were given a chance to take a moral stand and catalyze change in our community, and many of them fell short. I’m far from being the only Burke resident who was left disappointed and a little bit deflated by the limited degree of forthrightness and courage displayed. 

For instance, Sen. Warren Daniel made a misleading claim about the so-called “monument bill,” the state statute that hinders our ability to remove monuments to white supremacy from communities across North Carolina. 

In his response, he touted the piece of legislation for having “unanimous, bipartisan support.” 

While it may have passed the N.C. Senate with a 48-0 vote, it only moved through the N.C. House after a 70-39 roll call. And that’s after four failed amendments and a third reading, with all “no’s” coming from Democrats. 

That’s a far cry from “unanimous” or “bipartisan.” 

To his credit, however, Sen. Daniel did express a willingness to “hear from constituents in the 46th District about whether they believe changes should be made.” I certainly hope Burke residents will take a moment to educate him on the sullied history surrounding that monument and express their concerns about its menacing presence. 

As for Rep. Hugh Blackwell, he essentially responded with something to the effect that he is too busy doing other things to provide his personal opinion on the matter.

And perhaps the most elusory response came from Burke County’s Board of Commissioners. Rather than give us moral clarity on the issue—letting us know where they personally stand—they hid behind the law. 

As they said, their responsibility is to focus on “community advancement, public safety enhancements, support of education policy, job creation and economic development, as well as projects like broadband expansion, substance abuse prevention, and housing.” 

Doesn’t the removal of a white supremacist monument help our community advance? Doesn’t the removal of a racially antagonizing statue enhance public safety? Doesn’t the removal of an offensive statue from the heart of downtown Morganton help with job creation and economic development? 

While I genuinely appreciate the Board’s continued commitment to making a “positive impact on the lives of Burke County citizens,” I struggle to see how removing the Confederate monument doesn’t bleed into their stated objectives as elected officials. 

Statute 100-2.1 may be state law—for now—but our elected officials are applying little to no pressure to change it. And that means they’re falling short of the duties they’ve stated that they swore to uphold when taking office. 

That monument to white supremacy has no place in southern Appalachia. As I see it, our community is far more Appalachian than we are Confederate. And our public spaces should reflect that. It’s a shame our elected officials aren’t doing more to reconcile with our brutal past and demonstrate what a county that claims to be “all about advancing” actually looks like. 

JEFFREY HOWARD