150 rally at Confederate Monument
Rally at Confederate Monument / Dan Ahlers Photography
July 15. By Dave Yochum. More than 150 people stood in the early evening heat yesterday on Zion Avenue to call for the removal of the Confederate Monument in front of Mt. Zion United Methodist Church.
Virtually everyone masked due to COVID-19, they chanted “What do you want? Take it down” and When do we want it? Now.”
Cornelius Today photo
NC Sen. Natasha Marcus spoke, as did Mayor Woody Washam. Commissioner Thurman Ross, the only African-American on the Town Board, was there along with mostly white rally-goers, community activists and a handful of clergy, including the co-senior pastors at Mt. Zion who have called for the statue’s removal as well as Rev. Jerel Law, pastor of Love Lake Norman, a non-denominational church that meets in the Oak Street Mill.
The 110-year-old statue has been mostly ignored by white people for generations, according to Mayor Woody Washam.
For African-Americans, it’s another story. Lisa Mayhew-Jones, president of the Smithville Community Coalition, said the statue reminds descendants of slaves—many of the residents of Smithville are—that their ancestors, including hers, were sold as property.
Nevertheless, she played the role of a peacemaker last night when she told the crowd that descendants of local plantation owners provided the land for the community that is Smithville just east of I-77.
A rally isn’t a place for thoughtful discussion, but Sen. Marcus said Confederate monuments are a sign of oppression to millions of African Americans.
“Consider how you would feel if your ancestors were kidnapped and tortured and enslaved and they erected monuments to those who did it,” she said,
Dan Ahlers Photography
promising to work to repeal the 2015 Historic Artifact Managment and Patriotism Act which protects monuments and memorials commemorating events, persons and military service in North Carolina.
“They’re hurtful,” she said. “They are relics to the Jim Crow past and our past of slavery. They are monuments to the Confederacy which were efforts to keep certain people enslaved for the rest of their lives.”
The Confederate monument in Cornelius sits on private property owned and controlled by the Mt. Zion Monument Association. Leaders of the association have not commented except to say they are considering “all options available to protect and save this significant part of the history of Mecklenburg County and the state of North Carolina.”
The rally was organized by Unity in Community, a group that has officially asked for the monument to be removed.
Dan Ahlers Photography
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where does it end? do we remove all war memorials WWI, WWII, Korean, Vet Nam, to modern day wars. all the falling soldiers, police, fire, medics. I would gather to say most people didn’t even know it was there until it was pointed out
Give me a break. This is a tired argument for protecting a monument to white supremacy – a monument intended to intimidate the black community and glorify the effort to continue slavery. Last time I checked, nobody was calling to take down memorials for just wars. It was one of the first things I noticed when I moved to Cornelius several years ago and it’s an embarrassment to our community.
that’s probably the problem. you just moved here and pretty typical to start changing things to fit your agenda. Just because you say you are on the right side of history doesn’t make it so. This will be the start. You get your way with the removal of a statue that means something to the residents of Cornelius (which you have no history of belonging) and next your “right side of history” will go after the other memorials. Give it time for someone to be offended. What about the Jesus statues in the cementary? How long before your group goes after them? It’s happening all over. Also, i would be willing to bet that most protesting do not even live here. Do you get paid well to go from city to city and protest and cause unrest with residents that have lived in, pretty much, harmony. Good job pressuring Mt. Zion church also. If the members were polled, the majority (which have been attending that church for yrs) would probably tell your organization to take a hike. Anybody will bend with intimidation & name calling.
I wonder if Senator Marcus knows exactly what The Historic Artifact protects. Not only does it protect the confederate statue, it also ensures respectful treatment of the American flag, monuments, and memorials commemorating events and people from our military services. At Legion Park in Cornelius, their is a memorial to a Medal of Honor winner from our home town—Mr. Jerry Crump. This memorial needs to be protected forever. Repealing this act is a very bad idea!
Nobody’s trying to have the Legion Park memorial taken down because it’s not glorifying the battle to preserve slavery and intimdate black people. The Historic Artifact act was only created for the purpose of protecting these monuments to oppression and you know it, you’re just trying to hide behind the flag and memorials to true heroes like a coward and a bigot.
Why don’t you use your real name? You are entitled to your opinion, but you should tell everyone who you are.
The Historic Artifact Act is unnecessary because nobody’s trying to remove memorials like Legion Park. The act was created only because there is a long-overdue movement to remove Confederate monuments that glorify the battle to defend slavery and oppress black people. Hiding behind the American flag and memorials to true heroes is just a smokescreen. But you already knew that.
The noisy voices of a few don’t represent us all. These are people with not enough to do. I suggest they get a job and contribute something worthwhile for a change!