Allen J. Barwick: Monument diversity needed

Thanks for your July 23 editorial “A monument to big government” related to the legislation on making it harder to remove controversial monuments. When monuments are inaccurate and/or improperly placed, there should be a fair process for removing them.

Historical events with strictly local interest should be handled by local government while those of statewide or regional interest should be managed by an appropriate state agency or commission. Historical events do not happen on an “equitable” basis, but there is a time and a place for the process to encompass such non-objective criteria.

Consequently, the state should strive not to be contentious in its designation of historical memorials but should not forsake the recognition of events that may be controversial.

Take the Civil War as an example: Markers that are deemed accurate should remain, while attempts should be made to add additional markers that portray the black experience of the war.

The pathos of “Silent Sam,” a statue of a North Carolina Confederate soldier on the UNC campus, is an accurate portrayal of the white experience of the war. It would be appropriate to add alongside “Silent Sam” another monument of a North Carolina black Civil War soldier fighting on the opposite side.

This story was originally published August 3, 2015 at 4:23 PM with the headline "Allen J. Barwick: Monument diversity needed."