Since
becoming involved in this effort, I have learned a lot about this statue, its
history, and its supporters – primarily from historians, lawyers, students, elected
officials, current and former Caddo Parish residents, and white supremacists.
I’ve learned
that on June 18, 1903, white citizens in Caddo Parish were violently resisting
implementation of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, so Caddo Parish
commissioned this monument commemorating the last stand of the Confederacy in Louisiana.
I’ve learned
that in 1949, just two years before the Confederate flag was added to the
statue, the Ku Klux Klan staged a “third re-activation” in the South, and began
to use the flag as its emblem of racial bias. The Klan targeted Shreveport and
Northwest Louisiana to become a central hub of its activities, and its chapters
multiplied throughout the 1950s and ‘60s. By 1961, there were at least four
chapters of the Klan in the Shreveport area, totaling over 1,000 members, with
three additional chapters about to be chartered. The Confederate Flag flew for 60
years in front of the Caddo Parish Courthouse, and was finally removed for good
in 2011, due to an overwhelming 11 - 1 vote by our representatives at the Caddo
Parish Commission.
I’ve learned
that “there is a difference between remembrance of history and reverence of it….(Confederate)
statues were…erected….as part of…The Cult of the Lost Cause. This ‘cult’ had
one goal — through monuments and through other means — to rewrite history to
hide the truth, which is that the Confederacy was on the wrong side of humanity….It
is self-evident that these men did not fight for the United States of America; they
fought against it. They may have been warriors, but in this cause they were not
patriots.” (Mitch Landrieu)
I’ve learned
that Confederate “monuments purposefully celebrate a fictional, sanitized
Confederacy; ignoring the death, ignoring the enslavement, and the terror that
it actually stood for. After the Civil War, (Confederate) statues were a part
of that terrorism as much as a burning cross on someone’s lawn; they were
erected purposefully to send a strong message to all who walked in their
shadows about who (is) still in charge in this city.” (Mitch Landrieu)
To quote
Mayor Mitch Landrieu: “To literally put the confederacy on a pedestal in our
most prominent places of honor is an inaccurate recitation of our full past, it
is an affront to our present, and it is a bad prescription for our future…History
cannot be changed. It cannot be moved like a statue. What is done is done. The
Civil War is over, and the Confederacy lost and we are better for it.”
I’ve learned
that the most vocal - and dangerous - defenders of the Confederate statues are
white supremacists. White supremacists say things like, “I’m not a racist,
but…” or “I’m in the militia, but I’m not a racist,” or “We need to tear down
the MLK statue – but I’m not a racist,” or “I have black friends,” or “I’ll
defend the Confederate monument with my AK47.” They desperately cling to oversized
granite reminders of their long-lost superiority, which they refer to as their
“history.” 21st century ideals of racial and social equality are a
serious threat to their fragile existence.
I’ve learned
that I am completely incapable of comprehending the fear, anxiety and horror
that people of color have endured in the South for hundreds of years. After
only two weeks of being under attack by white supremacists, I am depressed,
scared, and exhausted. Being able to survive generations of this brutal treatment
is beyond my scope of understanding. White people are completely incapable of
understanding the American Black experience. Completely. Incapable.
I’ve learned
that white people owe our hearts, minds and power to fighting for FULL RACIAL
EQUALITY under the law. We owe a debt to our Black neighbors that can NEVER be
fully repaid. White supremacists live and breathe to keep Black people scared,
broken and subservient. We who have the ability (and our "sacred"
white privilege) must forever banish racist lawmakers, law-breakers and
terrorists from our civilized society in the name of love and human decency.
Removing
Confederate monuments is a good start. But in order to eliminate white
supremacy from our midst, we must completely flush out this evil from our state
legislature, our courthouses, our neighborhoods, our schools, our places of
worship...we must commit to calling out white supremacy EVERY TIME WE WITNESS
IT. Without exception.
White
supremacists have no moral compass or empathy; they will sacrifice everything
to keep their perceived power over Black people. While there are many more of
us than there are them, we must never underestimate their willingness to martyr
themselves for their "Lost Cause."
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If you would like to sign the petition to remove the Confederate statue at the Caddo Parish Courthouse, please sign here or email the Caddo Parish Commission at caddolrpcac@gmail.com.
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