While I acknowledge the concept that “Fame” may make a percentage of people uncomfortable, I cannot view it as a symbol of white supremacy for the following reasons.

Based solely upon the symbology present in the statue, this is what I see: “Fame” sits in the west, traditionally known as the place of endings; the rifle, which represents power, is broken; the soldier, which represents the body of Confederate states, is dead.

It is a simple monument to the fallen soldiers of Rowan County, not Confederate President Jefferson Davis or the “South will rise again.” Its history is our history, and you can’t change history by removing it.

— James Bostwick

Salisbury