Thank you to Salisbury City Council and the United Daughters of the Confederacy for coming to agreement on moving the Confederate monument “Fame” from Innes Street. They peacefully resolved a debate that has troubled Salisbury for decades, gaining greater momentum — and stirring deeper emotions — each time it arose.

At one time, there was talk of erecting markers to put the monument in perspective and deny any present-day connection to the Lost Cause, slavery and the Jim Crow era in which Fame was erected. But events overtook those efforts. Something had to be done.

An important conversation began here in 2015 after the murder of nine African-American people at Mother Emanuel Church in Charleston. A diverse group attended a community meeting at Hood Seminary and called for understanding — for owning up to the past, seeing history from all perspectives, asking tough questions on race and building personal relationships. “Let’s start a new heritage,” one man said.

No one wants to erase history, but we need to acknowledge the complete, multifaceted story of our nation and how it continues to affect people today. That can be our new heritage.

— Elizabeth G. Cook

Salisbury Post