I am writing in support of removing the Confederate Monument, also known as the “Talbot Boys” statue, from the Talbot County Courthouse lawn. It is well past the time to remove this symbol of a divisive past. Talbot County aims to be a welcoming and inclusive community, worthy aspirations that cannot come true while that Monument stands.
The Monument sits on the grounds of the county courthouse, an institution dedicated to delivering equal treatment and justice under the law. Honoring those who chose to take up arms against the United States and for the continuation of the violent institution of slavery sends the message that justice is not blind. The Monument was put up in 1916, more than 50 years after the Civil War – not merely to honor the dead, but during the Jim Crow era as a pointed and cruel message to Black community members. How can we say ours is a welcoming community today, all the while continuing to send this message?
Our problems on racial injustice and inequity run much deeper than this monument. Its removal will not solve centuries of systemic oppression, but it is a strong step forward for our community. In the past, there has been concern about offending descendants of the Talbot Boys who still live in the community. Can we not also ask: what of the descendants of the enslaved people who still live in the county? This community made a decision to send a message of exclusion and hatred back in 1916. We can choose, more than a century later, to send a different message today.
Talbot County is a community of kind, passionate and visionary people. There may be opposition from some, but this is a message worth sending that will make our county better for all of us. As an elected leader of Talbot County, I ask you consider championing the removal of the entire Confederate Monument from the County Courthouse lawn.
It is time.
Talbot County
Cornelius Anen says
Regarding the removal of the Talbot Boys Statue a lot of
people including myself fail to understand how this acknowledgement that some residents once upon a time
fought on the losing Confederate side as a historical fact
offends anyone. It’s history. Are we going to alter historical
facts. Presidents Washington, Jefferson and Monroe
had slaves are you going to erase them as Presidents
of the United States? Hang on folks our White Apologists
will be back after this statue removal to rewrite more history. Where does it end?
Alan Boisvert says
I prefer to live in the present with a positive future and not adorn our ugly past.
George Dappert says
It’s been 75 years since the end of the Second World War. Under this logic it would be perfectly ok to erect a monument to Adolf Hitler on public property because its “historical”, right?
Mondrea Hasty says
For starters the truth of their indignity needs to be taught so that light shines upon them fairly. Because we as a country view these individuals as great men takes nothing away from the fact that they weren’t good men. In fact General George Washington, an iconic figure in the lexicon of American history, as well as a founding father of this country, was adamant about keeping his slave labor as such. During his presidency, while residing in NY he made it a point to switch out his slaves every six months so they couldn’t gain independence (due to the laws and statutes that existed at that time). He used the healthy teeth of his living slaves to make dentures for himself. Historians paint him to be a mean relentless slave owner who saw Blacks as no more than beasts of burden. So in no way was he a good man and YES the buildings, schools, parks, libraries and public facilities bearing his name and likeness as well as the other so called founding fathers who owned human beings should be changed as well. No if ands or buts allowed!
Sharon Murray says
I walked and worked to raise money to have the Frederick Douglass statue erected. I believe in individual liberty, freedom of the press and religion. I believe that every person is entitled to use their voice and express themselves. I also believe that the Talbot Boys statue is just as much a part of our history as the Frederick Douglas statue. They actually counter-balance each other. I also believe that they should both remain standing as a reminder of the good that we are capable of , as well as the not-so-good. Future generations need to know ALL of the pertinent history. Those statues don’t serve as an affront. It is the good and evil that both exist in all of us that needs to be acknowledged.
Sharon Murray
Carol Voyles says
The Talbot Boys are part of our history, but it is with good reason that treasonous efforts are not commemorated on public grounds. It would be more appropriately located on private property.