Fame will be moved.
The “angel statue” across from St. John’s -- that predates the building of St. John’s – became a flashpoint in recent years because of its association with the Confederacy, slavery, and a Jim Crow era that severely limited the rights of blacks.
For others, it represented none of that. It was just a beautiful statue in the middle of town. “What’s the big deal?” they asked.
The big deal is that a statue in a downtown community should be a unifying symbol for that community, not a divisive one. Some argue that Fame has not been divisive until recently; others argue that we’ve not sought the opinion of a large percentage of our citizens.
But one simple fact remains: it will be moved one way or another, either by agreement or by force. I hope it’s by mutual agreement. I’m sure I don’t share the same opinion as many, but these last few weeks have taught us a lot about our community and the way we make decisions.
There will be those who try to take credit, but what I find significant about this hoped-for agreement is that it was generated by the input, advice, and goodwill of a large variety of people and groups within our community. Did everyone get their way? No. After all, concessions are necessary when communities seek the common good. That’s how civil negotiation happens. In that regard, Salisbury’s approach could and should be a model for other communities wrestling with similar issues – a commitment to our common love for this community and a willingness to listen to one another out of respect, not fear.
It’s important to note that a statue by itself doesn’t solve much, so let’s not fool ourselves into thinking that we’re done with the hard work of addressing racial inequities. We’re not. This work is “a marathon, not a sprint,” said NAACP president Gemale Black, and he’s right … as is Police Chief Jerry Stokes, who has spent four years listening, training, correcting, and reforming our police department. They both know this is hard work, and they both have the willingness to work together over the long haul in making our community a place we can all be proud of. That’s a band wagon worth getting on board.
