The Story We're Telling Ourselves about American History

In my life, I've had the very good fortune (read: white privilege) to study history, storytelling, and conflict. I've prioritized travel above all else, and for that reason, have seen places I had only ever dreamed of. What I've come to understand in this time of studying and travelling, very specifically to see divided societies, is that culture, society, and people are ever-changing.

Thinking back to my initial readings into culture, I remember the classic Geertz: culture is "the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves," often defined in public symbols. As I reflect now on the story we're telling ourselves currently in this country, we should be sure our public monuments, place names and public holidays are reflective of the values we hold most dear.

The monuments we erect, the way we name special places, and the people and days we celebrate are all part of how elevate, venerate and demonstrate to ourselves and to the world who exactly we think we are. Regardless of the actual intent or meaning, what matters most is the context in which they are interpreted (Geertz).

Now, more than ever, a Confederate flag says that whiteness is superior. It is a visible and visceral reminder of slavery and the continued injustices perpetuated against black Americans and other people of color. A Confederate General on horseback, looking triumphant in battle, is not reflective of our history! It is symbolic of the way in which we wanted to see ourselves in the 1880s, in the 1910s, in the 1950s -- when these statues were erected. It is now 2017, and these monuments have no place in our public spaces.

I wholeheartedly support the removal of Confederate statues in Baltimore and beyond. While I accept the Civil War as a core component of our national history, even of my personal family history (which has ties on both side of the conflict), I do not accept tributes and memorials in public spaces which define us verses them and instill fear. If you disagree that these symbols convey hate, look no further than the Charlottesville rally, whereby white-supremacists and neo-Nazis came together to protest the removal of symbols they believe to represent them. What more reason can we have to remove them from public spaces?

We cannot erase the conflict of the past, but we can put it in it's rightful place -- in text books, in museums, in spaces where lessons are learned. While we cannot change history, we can (and MUST) change the elements of history that we choose to define us!

We owe it to ourselves, and to the very values that make America truly great, to critically reflect upon the "story we tell ourselves about ourselves." 

Baltimore, Maryland