Carolina Alumni Review - November/December 2011

about the statue’s historical context, she became more aware of its controversial reception.

“One of the awesome things about this job is that it has allowed me to really see the power, what history can do, what we should be learning, how it can propel us, what it can teach us, how we can be a community because of it or how it can tear us apart,” she said.

Julian-Fox said that she supports the Real Silent Sam group’s request for a plaque contextualiz-ing the statue’s complex history.

Tim McMillan
’80, a professor of
African-American
studies who leads a
“Black and Blue”
tour of controversial
topics on campus,
said he questions
the effectiveness of a
plaque, that few people would take the
time to read it. “I’m not big on plaques,
but I am big on historical debate and pub-
lic education,” he said. “I support [the Real
Silent Sam group’s] interest in keeping the
past in the present, and their goals of edu-
cation and public awareness.” Instead,
McMillan suggested an annual Silent Sam
lecture or debate.

Harry Watson, director of the Center for the Study of the American South, said he does not support the statue’s removal or adding a plaque, that both options would cause political turmoil and would not neutralize the statue’s controversial nature.

“It makes sense educationally, but the

statue is more than a history lesson,” Watson said. “It’s a powerful emotional symbol to many people who will be enraged by removal or alteration. And enraging them will not add a single lost dollar to our budget, rehire a single laid-off teacher or staff member … or cover the tuition increase for any student in need. To me, these things are all more important than purifying our appearance.”

Bruce Carney, executive vice chancellor and provost, said that in light of a new plaque dedicated to the Speaker Ban memorial, which celebrates freedom of speech, another plaque explaining Silent Sam’s historical context might be appropriate. He views Silent Sam in two different ways. “It is, of course, a reminder of our history. But it is also a reminder of the resolve of the men and their families who risked and suffered so much, who gave, as Lincoln said at Gettysburg, the ‘last full measure of devotion.’ Recall that they fought, or thought they fought, for something other than just slavery.”

Watson said that the multiple contexts surrounding Silent Sam are all valid. “ Ultimately, the meaning of a statue is not fixed and unchangeable,” he said. “As a symbol it legitimately means different things to different people.”

McMillan said that the presence of Silent Sam on campus evokes negative connotations for African-American students.

“When black students come to tour the campus with their parents as part of a college tour, being greeted at the entrance of the campus by a Civil War soldier means something different than it would to most white high school students,” he said. “ Symbols of the Confederacy, whether rightly or wrongly, are symbols of segregation and inequality to many black Americans.”

David Owens, chair of UNC’s building and grounds committee, said that if the Real Silent Sam group solicits a plaque for Silent Sam, the request would go through a review process that would end with the Board of Trustees and could take five or six months to finalize.

— Emily Palmer

NOW IN PAPERBACK

“Engaging . . . [Williams] knows how to tell a good story.” —Sports Illustrated

“Coach Williams’ life story is all-out inspiring.”

;MICHAEL JORDAN
I
y

“His story, from a small
town in North Carolina
to successfully running two
of the sport’s premier
programs, is one that
everyone who dares to
dream should richly enjoy.”
;DEAN SMITH
r