The New York Time (Opinion) You Want a Confederate Monument? My Body is a Confederate Monument
Caroline Randall Williams
June 26, 2020, NASHVILLE
"I have rape-colored skin. My light-brown-blackness is a living testament to the rules, the practices, the causes of the Old South. If there are those who want to remember the legacy of the Confederacy, if they want monuments, well, then, my body is a monument. My skin is a monument....
What is a monument but a standing memory? An artifact to make tangible the truth of the past. My body and blood are a tangible truth of the South and its past. The black people I come from were owned by the white people I come from. The white people I come from fought and died for their Lost Cause. And I ask you now, who dares to tell me to celebrate them? Who dares to ask me to accept their mounted pedestals?"
The Atlantic What to an American Is the Fourth of July?: Power comes before freedom, not the other way around.
Ibram X. Kendi
July 4, 2019
“As a resistant black man in America, I’ve never felt like a slave. But I’ve never felt free. And I understand why. I have the power to resist policy, a resistance that ensures I’m not a slave. But I don’t have the power to shape policy, a power that makes me free."
…
"I have always understood why humans resisted tyrants. But I never really understood why humans fully submitted to tyrants until I studied American history, until I entered Trump’s America and watched the patriots to tyranny. To believe freedom comes before power is to stifle the struggle to equalize power. It is to reinforce the power of the extremely wealthy white men who declared independence years ago. There is no more docile slave than one who believes he or she is free.”
Washington Post
“Why news organizations’ move to capitalize ‘Black’ is a win”
Shirley Carswell, June 30, 2020
"The shift in sensibilities over time is significant. In the past century, references to people of African descent have gone from “negro” to “colored” to “Afro-American” to “black” and “African American.” And those are just the more widely accepted terms. A few years ago, I came across an early 1900s newspaper article about my great-great-grandfather, who was found fatally shot on a street in rural Georgia. I was elated to find a historical record of his suspicious death, confirming family folklore, but horrified that the headline and story in the weekly Hawkinsville Dispatch and News referred to him as an “old darkey.”
…
"In the country’s rush to examine its conscience over the treatment of black Americans in the wake of George Floyd’s killing, media outlets capitalizing the “B” in “Black” may seem, to some, like a small gesture. Changing one letter doesn’t cost them anything, and it isn’t going to end police brutality or racial injustice. Still, it feels to me like a win at a time when black folks could really use one. Real progress, of course, comes not just from capitalization but also from fair and respectful coverage of black communities. That involves newsrooms hiring more black journalists and being more responsive to those already on staff."
Removing Racist Symbols In Beaufort
Indivisible has begun the work of eliminating racist symbols in our area. First, we will be pushing the city council to take down a historic marker at the corner of Bay and Carteret that commemorates Confederate Brigadier General Stephen Eliott. The little park it sits in is also called Cannon Park, and removing the marker won't affect the pleasant little park.
Second, we've notified Indivisible members who live in Picket Fences that the Beauregard Court is also named for a Confederate General.
Third, a steering committee member has sent a letter to Secession Gulf Club on Cat island requesting a name change.
Do you know of other racist symbols in Beaufort? Send them to us by replying to this email and include as much information as you can.
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These yard signs are available now at the Democratic Headquarters--605 Carteret Street, Beaufort.
Turning Out the Vote is the Key to Winning in 2020
Funds have started coming in--THANK YOU!
Campaign 2020 Goal: $16,000
Billboards--$10,500 = 5 boards in October, one each in August and September Yard Signs--$1,500 = 500 yard signs Digital Advertising--$3,000 = 300,000 impressions/hits Postcards--$1,000 =1200-1500 postcards
*** How to Donate to Indivisible
Checks: Make out to Indivisible Beaufort and mail to Indivisible Beaufort, P.O. Box 442, Beaufort, SC 29901. Credit Cards: Go to flipsouthcarolina.com and pay through our ActBlue account.
How to Donate to Progressive Candidates
Name
Seat
Campaign Website
Barb Nash*
SC House District 124
barbnashsc124.com
Nathan Campbell
SC Senate District 46
campbell4sc.com
Richard Hricik
SC Senate District 43
richardforsc.com
Joe Cunningham
House of Rep—SC-1
joecunninghamforcongress.com
Jaime Harrison
US Senate
jaimeharrison.com
Joe Biden
US President
joebiden.com
*Note: Barb Nash’s District 124 covers most of the City of Beaufort.
News Flash: Joe Cunningham is the headline speaker at a Zoom meeting on Saturday, August 8. Details to follow.
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Encourage the SC Legislature and Governor
to Institute No-Excuse, Mail-In Voting for the November 3 Presidential Election
