SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
"We are part of a long tradition of civil rights in this country. We as a country have a lot of change and a lot of healing to do, and we are not going to get there putting racism on a pedestal," said Andrew Skinner, a 23-year-old University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill graduate. (Photo: WRAL News in NC/Twitter)
'Everybody Pull!': North Carolina Protesters Topple Confederate Statue Silent Sam
"So thankful for the students at UNC who toppled the Confederate statue on their campus. They did what the administration and politicians in North Carolina should've done decades ago."
Aug 21, 2018
Yet another racist monument down, around 1,700 more to go.
"It's time to build monuments to honor those who have been murdered by white supremacy. It's time to tear down Silent Sam. It's time to tear down UNC's institutional white supremacy."
--Maya Little, student activist
What began as a demonstration in support of student activist Maya Little--who was arrested in April for pouring red ink and her own blood on the Confederate statue "Silent Sam," located on the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill campus--ended in students and other protesters ripping the monument down Monday night after denouncing the school's administrators for refusing to remove the symbol of racism and oppression.
"It's time to build monuments to honor those who have been murdered by white supremacy," said Little, who attended and delivered a speech at Monday's demonstration. "It's time to tear down 'Silent Sam.' It's time to tear down UNC's institutional white supremacy."
Watch the moment when the statue was toppled, leaving "Silent Sam" face-down in the dirt:
\u201c\u201cProtesters topple Silent Sam Confederate statue at UNC\u201d\n\nVia Julia Wall and the News & Observer. \n\nhttps://t.co/nzDPXVJctf\u201d— Move Silent Sam (@Move Silent Sam) 1534823722
\u201cProtesters shout, \u201cNext up, Charlottesville.\u201d\u201d— The Daily Tar Heel (@The Daily Tar Heel) 1534809624
"So thankful for the students at UNC who toppled the Confederate statue on their campus. They did what the administration and politicians in North Carolina should've done decades ago," The Intercept's Shaun King wrote on Twitter early Tuesday. "It was erected at the height of lynching by friends of the KKK as an act of intimidation."
"Silent Sam," a monument of a Confederate soldier, was constructed in 1913 with donations from the the United Daughters of the Confederacy. According to the local Raleigh News & Observer, UNC-Chapel Hill spent $390,000 on surveillance cameras and other protections for the statue last year alone.
Just before they felled the Confederate monument, "protesters covered the statue with tall, gray banners, erecting 'an alternative monument' that said, in part, 'For a world without white supremacy,'" the News & Observer reported.
Andrew Skinner, a 23-year-old UNC graduate, said in an interview with the News & Observer that the demonstrators' destruction of the Confederate statue "shows that we have the power to be on the right side of history."
"We are part of a long tradition of civil rights in this country," Skinner added. "We as a country have a lot of change and a lot of healing to do, and we are not going to get there putting racism on a pedestal."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Yet another racist monument down, around 1,700 more to go.
"It's time to build monuments to honor those who have been murdered by white supremacy. It's time to tear down Silent Sam. It's time to tear down UNC's institutional white supremacy."
--Maya Little, student activist
What began as a demonstration in support of student activist Maya Little--who was arrested in April for pouring red ink and her own blood on the Confederate statue "Silent Sam," located on the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill campus--ended in students and other protesters ripping the monument down Monday night after denouncing the school's administrators for refusing to remove the symbol of racism and oppression.
"It's time to build monuments to honor those who have been murdered by white supremacy," said Little, who attended and delivered a speech at Monday's demonstration. "It's time to tear down 'Silent Sam.' It's time to tear down UNC's institutional white supremacy."
Watch the moment when the statue was toppled, leaving "Silent Sam" face-down in the dirt:
\u201c\u201cProtesters topple Silent Sam Confederate statue at UNC\u201d\n\nVia Julia Wall and the News & Observer. \n\nhttps://t.co/nzDPXVJctf\u201d— Move Silent Sam (@Move Silent Sam) 1534823722
\u201cProtesters shout, \u201cNext up, Charlottesville.\u201d\u201d— The Daily Tar Heel (@The Daily Tar Heel) 1534809624
"So thankful for the students at UNC who toppled the Confederate statue on their campus. They did what the administration and politicians in North Carolina should've done decades ago," The Intercept's Shaun King wrote on Twitter early Tuesday. "It was erected at the height of lynching by friends of the KKK as an act of intimidation."
"Silent Sam," a monument of a Confederate soldier, was constructed in 1913 with donations from the the United Daughters of the Confederacy. According to the local Raleigh News & Observer, UNC-Chapel Hill spent $390,000 on surveillance cameras and other protections for the statue last year alone.
Just before they felled the Confederate monument, "protesters covered the statue with tall, gray banners, erecting 'an alternative monument' that said, in part, 'For a world without white supremacy,'" the News & Observer reported.
Andrew Skinner, a 23-year-old UNC graduate, said in an interview with the News & Observer that the demonstrators' destruction of the Confederate statue "shows that we have the power to be on the right side of history."
"We are part of a long tradition of civil rights in this country," Skinner added. "We as a country have a lot of change and a lot of healing to do, and we are not going to get there putting racism on a pedestal."
Yet another racist monument down, around 1,700 more to go.
"It's time to build monuments to honor those who have been murdered by white supremacy. It's time to tear down Silent Sam. It's time to tear down UNC's institutional white supremacy."
--Maya Little, student activist
What began as a demonstration in support of student activist Maya Little--who was arrested in April for pouring red ink and her own blood on the Confederate statue "Silent Sam," located on the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill campus--ended in students and other protesters ripping the monument down Monday night after denouncing the school's administrators for refusing to remove the symbol of racism and oppression.
"It's time to build monuments to honor those who have been murdered by white supremacy," said Little, who attended and delivered a speech at Monday's demonstration. "It's time to tear down 'Silent Sam.' It's time to tear down UNC's institutional white supremacy."
Watch the moment when the statue was toppled, leaving "Silent Sam" face-down in the dirt:
\u201c\u201cProtesters topple Silent Sam Confederate statue at UNC\u201d\n\nVia Julia Wall and the News & Observer. \n\nhttps://t.co/nzDPXVJctf\u201d— Move Silent Sam (@Move Silent Sam) 1534823722
\u201cProtesters shout, \u201cNext up, Charlottesville.\u201d\u201d— The Daily Tar Heel (@The Daily Tar Heel) 1534809624
"So thankful for the students at UNC who toppled the Confederate statue on their campus. They did what the administration and politicians in North Carolina should've done decades ago," The Intercept's Shaun King wrote on Twitter early Tuesday. "It was erected at the height of lynching by friends of the KKK as an act of intimidation."
"Silent Sam," a monument of a Confederate soldier, was constructed in 1913 with donations from the the United Daughters of the Confederacy. According to the local Raleigh News & Observer, UNC-Chapel Hill spent $390,000 on surveillance cameras and other protections for the statue last year alone.
Just before they felled the Confederate monument, "protesters covered the statue with tall, gray banners, erecting 'an alternative monument' that said, in part, 'For a world without white supremacy,'" the News & Observer reported.
Andrew Skinner, a 23-year-old UNC graduate, said in an interview with the News & Observer that the demonstrators' destruction of the Confederate statue "shows that we have the power to be on the right side of history."
"We are part of a long tradition of civil rights in this country," Skinner added. "We as a country have a lot of change and a lot of healing to do, and we are not going to get there putting racism on a pedestal."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.