The Deseret News published an article recently on the current “cancel culture.” In discussing how society should respond to the recent removal of public monuments linked to slavery, the author wrote:
“So slap a disclaimer at the feet of our monuments and the walls of our schools. Let society soak up the complexities and determine for itself the best way to learn from the past.”
As a professor of leadership, I believe that disclaimers or contextualization of these monuments is not enough. We must lead by example and root out racism through our actions. We must remove symbols of systematic oppression from public display. We must call on our civic leaders to be, well, leaders, and do what should have been done long ago. In short, we must take the statues down.
The fact that confederate monuments stand today is a failure of leadership. I have noticed that many people are disturbed that protesters are taking down statues linked to the confederacy. In the wake of the murder of George Floyd, what should be more disturbing is that these monuments still grace our civic spaces. They symbolize a sustained effort to continue slavery. For the most part, protesters are taking down confederate monuments because civic leaders have failed to do so proactively. This is the real tragedy … not that protesters are tearing down statues, but that for years our country’s leaders have not had the courage to what is right — take down all monuments linked to the inherent white supremacy of the confederate cause.
And this brings me to a crucial point. These are not “just” statues. Symbols matter. The vast majority of these monuments where built during the Jim Crow era (1877-1964). Public monuments built during this time served to reinforce white supremacy and separatism. Public display implicitly gives a collective nod to these symbols. If they are allowed to remain, they send the signal that what they stand for is important enough to take up precious cultural real estate. As Keisha N. Blain puts it:
“These symbols serve one primary purpose — to honor figures of the past who upheld an undemocratic vision of America. They were created by white supremacists. And they function as a balm for white supremacists who long to return to a period when Americans regarded black people as property.”
I had a teacher who use to say, “life is a buffet, and what you have on your plate is a good indication of what you like to eat.” If our public spaces are an indication of what we support, or at least tolerate in our society, do we really want monuments that reflect white supremacy to be featured in our public spaces? I don’t think we do.
I was talking to a Black friend the other day. He told me that he was nervous about his son getting his driving permit. I replied, “yeah, there are lots of bad drivers out there.” He explained that he was concerned that his Black son might get pulled over and hurt or killed by the police. This had not crossed my mind. It is my privilege to not think about these kinds of things. But Black and African Americans do not have this luxury. It is no wonder then that a 2018 poll of residents of southern states showed that a majority of Black respondents wanted to take down confederate monuments while white respondents polled in the opposite direction. There is an obvious disconnect between white and Black America, and white Americans seem to justify leaving up statutes through appeals to preserve “history.”
Some even argue that removing memorials is erasing history. Taking down monuments does not erase the history of the Civil War. Instead, it removes the symbols of the errors of our past ways. The American Historical Association’s statement on confederate monuments explains:
What we honor matters. We can still remember the past without publicly honoring those that were on the wrong side of human decency.
“To remove such monuments is neither to ‘change’ history nor ‘erase’ it. What changes with such removals is what American communities decide is worthy of civic honor.”
What we honor matters. We can still remember the past without publicly honoring those that were on the wrong side of human decency. We can move monuments to museums and contextualize them there. But they don’t belong in the public square.
But some will ask where does it stop? Will we take down monuments of Washington and Jefferson? From my perspective the answer is, let’s handle the obvious first: Take down the symbols of the attempt to continue slavery — confederate memorials and monuments.
Ted Cross is the associate dean of graduate programs in the College of Business at Western Governors University. Previously, he was a clinical assistant professor of leadership and management at the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University. Email: tedmcross@gmail.com