We Do Not Erase History! (NC)
Confederate monument change rolls back previous woke ‘compromise'
Jackson County leaders have removed a plaque – installed during the Black Lives Matter movement – that previously covered an inscription on the pedestal of “Sylva Sam,” a Confederate monument.
The plaque – which read “E pluribus Unum,” a phrase on the Great Seal of the United States that means “out of many, one” – had stood for four years as a compromise to prior calls for the Confederate soldier statue to be removed. It was removed this month without a public discussion or vote by county elected leaders – which one former commissioner has described as an act “behind closed doors.”
Sylva Sam was erected on the steps of the then-Jackson County Courthouse in 1915. Amid calls for the removal of the monument, County Commissioners between 2020 and 2021 agreed to add the “E pluribus Unum” plaque covering the original inscription that reads “Our Heroes of the Confederacy.”
Now, the Confederate heroe's message – and a Confederate flag on the statue’s base – is back.
At a recent county meeting, residents weighed in – both on the meaning of the monument and the lack of public disclosure before the compromise plaque was removed.
Jackson County resident Megan Machnik thanked commissioners for restoring the original monument.
“This monument has stood as a silent witness to generations of change, struggle, and growth. Well, it may represent different things to different people, for many of us it's a part of our heritage, an emblem of the history that has shaped our families, our town, and the South itself,” Machnik said.
“Your actions show that we do not erase our history, but we engage with…
IMO it is necessary to leave all statues and remembrances of historic figures. I remember one from a leader of a small rebellion -he lost, and had a grave marker put where he fell. It is in a dilapidated state, but still there, as a sign that one can fight govt, and die doing so, but there is the liberty of DOING it. A sign for later generations that you do not have to sit and do nothing! Later on a greater rebellion might be successful !