I spoke with a young black man this week who is from New Orleans. Since I was in New Orleans a couple of years ago, our conversation drifted to the various statues and monuments in the region.
He said he walked past the statue of Jefferson Davis on his way to school. This is in the 21st century.
When a young black child has to walk past the statue of man who ‘if he had his druthers’ would have prevented the young man from being educated or having any opportunities in this country, it is an atrocity. That statue was there to remind the young black man that he hasn’t earned his place in American society. That he’s not quite good enough to be an American.
As someone who has studied a lot of American history, including my family genealogy, I appreciate history, but I do not worship it. History should be a teacher — not a tool for oppression.
White people, especially those who claim to be Christian, have a moral obligation to educate themselves on the impact that these statues have on the psyche of a young black child.
The statues need to go.
Charlie R. Claywell 
I’m sorry but on this I do not agree. The statue is a part of history, one that should be remembered so it can never be repeated. If he felt the statue was mocking him, then he has a strong case of paranoia. To me, being Christian is how I behave towards everybody and anybody I cross paths with.
I think if you walk through New Orleans you may see it a little differently, nothing has changed for black people in the City of New Orleans.
The one thing that I was struck by, being from the north, was the overwhelming number of homeless people that exist inside that City — most of the ones I saw were within two blocks of the World War II museum.
The poverty there is, in many ways, because of systems that are in place — sytems that have perpetuated the mindset of the Confederacy 100+ years after its defeat.
The statues are sprinkled throughout the city as a reminder, I felt when I vowed them, to remind black people who was really in charge.
In many ways, I felt like I was stepping back in time when I was in that town (and not in a good way).
I know they do hold tight to their history, and not so they won’t repeat it, they want it to stay that way. But I still don’t see how an inanimate object can intimidate people unless they already have issues and that should have been overcome by education from the parents in their childhood.
Tearing down history is offensive to me, does that matter to anyone? I doubt it.
Agreed. You don’t see statues of Hitler standing around. We don’t need monuments to the wrong side of history just because they’re a part of history, the reminders are all around in other ways. Great take on this.
Although I cannot say with absolute certainty, because I do not remember, but I doubt that you can find a lot of statues of Grant, Sherman, or Lincoln in New Orleans.