Courtesy of Taryn Revoir/The Daily Tar Heel
UNC Department of Public Safety officers stand guard around the fallen statue on McCorkle Place. Silent Sam was pulled down by protesters during a rally Monday, Aug. 21.
UNC-Chapel Hill’s controversial confederate statue, Silent Sam, continues to be a divisive figure among the community, as the decision of what to do with the statue is currently being contested.
On Aug. 28, the UNC Board of Governors said that UNC-CH Chancellor Carol Folt and the UNC Board of Trustees are required to present a plan of what to do with the confederate monument by Nov. 15.
Chancellor Folt released a statement Friday claiming that Silent Sam should be removed from the campus, as it has no place among a community built upon inclusiveness and diversity.
UNC Media Relations emailed a clarifying statement after Chancellor Folt’s statement was released reminding the public that Folt does not have the authority to move the statue.
“Chancellor Folt does not have the authority to decide what should happen with the monument,” the statement read. “She believes Silent Sam has a place in our history and on our campus where its history can be taught, but not at the front door of a safe, welcoming, proudly public research university. Chancellor Folt will work with the campus community, our alumni, governing bodies, among many others, to develop a plan for the Confederate Monument that will be presented to the Board of Governors by Nov. 15.”
However, Thom Goolsby, a member of the UNC Board of Governors, recently called for the memorial to go back up within 90 days, as state law calls for the reinstallment of Silent Sam under statute 100-2.1, which is listed as the “Protection of monuments, memorials, and works of art.”
In a statement, Goolsby said that upholding North Carolina laws is his priority as well as protecting its citizens.
“We will make sure that the laws of our state are enforced, we will do all that we can to protect the students, we will do all that we can to keep off the campus people who are committing crimes, and we will preserve the laws of the state of North Carolina,” Goolsby said.
Goolsby also called for the prosecution of those involved with the removal of Silent Sam while expressing frustration at the lack of police interference during the event. This contributed to the reignited discussion about the landmark.
Chancellor Folt is not the only leading figure in Chapel Hill calling for the statues removal. Almost 50 professors from the university have signed an open letter calling upon university leadership to remove shrines of separation.
William R. Ferris, a professor of history emeritus at UNC-CH, was one of those on the list. He is against the statue remaining on school grounds because he views it as insensitive towards both the students and faculty. He also feels that it is representative of an era that his institution, with its current standards of inclusion and enlightenment, is actively fighting against.
“I just think that it’s unthinkable to put back Silent Sam,” Ferris said. “It’s an open sore and a constant reminder to every black student…. We are reminded of that history in the names of buildings and the memorial hall, the names of – mostly – white men who were slave owners.”
Ferris discussed how he thought that the statue should have come down before and been placed at a different location. He also said that the discomfort of students should have prompted the university to take it down.
“That’s a much more discreet and less public way of reminding people that this statue tragically brings pain to so many,” Ferris said. “It should be an easy decision if students and parents and people who visit the university are hurt by the fact that this very public statue stands front and center as reminder of slavery.”
Ferris said that when it comes to the marginalization of students of color, he feels as if the students have already made their opinions known through their actions. He also viewed the actions of the students as wholly American, and that going against laws is an important tradition in American history.
“Students have the courage of their convictions to act and the breaking of law,” Ferris said. “Those Americans were breaking the law when they threw the tea in the water. Martin Luther King was breaking the law when he sat in and protested Jim Crowe institutions, and these students were essentially conducting civil disobedience, which is deeply rooted in our nation’s history.”
Molly Esleeck, a second-year in global studies at UNC-CH, said she believes that the statue should be removed because it represents a growing danger to her peers.
“It’s definitely affecting everyone, even if you don’t have a strong opinion on the issue. It still affects everyone because the protests create a really dangerous environment,” Esleeck said. “It definitely disrupts the everyday lives of the students and, for the people involved, it can be really hard knowing that the school that you love and support, supports ideas that are against yours.”
NC State administration released a statement to students, staff and faculty reiterating their belief in freedom of speech and expression, while also encouraging them to review the institution’s stance on its Free Speech information page.