11/4 Letters: “Protest where it matters now for human lives”

Regarding “UNC law faculty: Statue ‘sends a message of white supremacy’” (Oct. 28): “Silent Sam” has stood for over 100 years at UNC and was erected to pay respect to the 321 UNC alumni who died in the Civil War. Faculty members of the UNC History Department and now the Law School faculty state that the statue “sends a message of white supremacy that the University should refuse to endorse.”

To those students and professors who assert that the statue represents “racism” and “white supremacy” I say that I don’t see the statue representing either one. I don’t see a white general astride a beautiful steed, brandishing a sword going into battle. I see a poor soldier with a rifle and an empty ammunition pouch forlornly looking into the distance, perhaps thinking of returning to an impoverished family and state. On the side of the statue is a plaque showing a student sitting with books and a woman with a standing sword signifying the “call to duty.” Many do not know that this statue is a work of art, made of bronze, not lead, and sculpted by James A. Wilson of Boston, considered one of the finest sculptors of his time. The Smithsonian Museum has other works of his on display.

It is true that the speaker at the statue’s dedication, Julian Carr, was a racist, but he was also a philanthropist who gave large tracts of land to Duke, UNC and other North Carolina colleges. There is good and bad in all of us. I understand students’ need to protest and that is commendable. My era protested against the Vietnam War and for civil rights. I say to students, instead of marching to protest at “Silent Sam” on the campus, protest where it matters now for human lives. Protest at the Durham City jail where inmates are dying from guard treatment or by suicide from neglect. Help feed and shelter people at the Durham Rescue Mission. This matters to human life. Follow the wisdom of Martin Luther King to protest peacefully in numbers.

Don’t divide

It’s a sad commentary on our country today when party affiliation ranks higher than the character of a candidate. And as a result the country is now more divided than ever.

Whatever happened to core values such as honesty, integrity and empathy? Those aren’t important anymore? Seems to me they should be requirements for any candidate running for a major office in our country for both Democrats and Republicans alike. If those values are not present in the candidate, then he or she should be deemed unfit to receive votes. What happened last November should never happen again at any level of government.

This story was originally published November 3, 2017 at 6:00 PM with the headline "11/4 Letters: “Protest where it matters now for human lives”."