For anyone thinking that the Talbot County Council vote last year to maintain the Talbot Boys Confederate monument on the county’s courthouse green would settle that issue once and for all, the last few months would show how wrong that perception would be.
Since that controversial decision was made, the County has seen the formation of organizations dedicated to either preserving it (Preserve Talbot History) or demanding it be moved to another location (Move Talbot’s Confederate Monument)
And as a result, the region has seen the appearance of lawn signs, numerous letters to editor articles, and ongoing social media debates about the Eastern Shore’s Civil War history and the interpretation of motives by those who fought in this tragic chapter in American history.
One person who has witnessed this ongoing controversy from the beginning has been Richard Potter. As president of the local chapter of NAACP, it was Richard and his colleagues who made the original request in 2015 that the Talbot Boys statue be removed and relocated to a more appropriate space.
Six years after the NAACP first met with the Talbot County Council, Richard has endured a number of setbacks, including the council’s votes in both 2016 and 2020 to maintain the monument’s status quo. Nonetheless, with the conviction that history and cultural change is on his side, Potter and his board members are doubling down on their opposition to the Talbot Boys location.
In fact, as the Spy discovered in our most recent conversation with Richard last week, there is a growing feeling of impatience with county leaders who continue to support the only Confederate memorial on public property in the entire state of Maryland. And this includes the NAACP’s opposition to a proposed “Unity” monument proposed by Talbot County Council member Laura Price, which Potter notes with irony, was never discussed with his organization to demonstrate a united consensus with all parties involved.
We caught up with Richard last week at the Spy studio for his appraisal of where things stand now and how he is concerned that a lack of action by Talbot County leaders might escalate the debate to a point where the county’s reputation is permanently damaged.
This video is approximately six minutes in length.
David Tull says
If you don’t like our history move somewhere else.
Charles D Zvirman says
If you don’t like the direction that Talbot County is going politically and otherwise, move elsewhere.
Darrell parsons says
Despite this thoughtful, well-reasoned, mature response. I think I will remain in Talbot County and support Richard Potter.
Anne Stalfort says
Talbot County is lucky to have Richard Potter’s voice. It is unimaginable to me that our citizens are ok with a Confederate monument standing in a place of honor on the Courthouse Square. Look around. Talbot County officials are alone in the State of Maryland in condoning the glorification of the Confederacy. What an embarrassment. And as far as moving, I will stay, as this has been my home for 55 years.
Paul Callahan says
The other counties didn’t have 125 Federal troops surround their courthouse, beat and drag their judge from his bench and imprison him for 7 months for his “crime” of upholding and standing by his commitment to the Constitution of the United States..
Anne C Stalfort says
We are discussing the removal of a monument in 2021. Your displeasure, the Talbot Boys displeasure, with President Lincoln seems absurd to use as a reason to keep a Confederate monument on our courthouse square. The Confederate flag is a symbol of hate; of racism. Maybe the problem is you and others don’t consider the Confederate flag a symbol of hate and racism. I thought it was chilling to see people carrying the Confederate flag while breaking windows and beating policemen as they broke into our Capitol. You? That flag greeting citizens as they enter the Courthouse, is an affront to our democracy and equality under the law.
Paul Callahan says
If the day ever comes where government forces surrounds your house in the middle of the night and hauls your loved ones to prison while denying them their right to trial, I would like to hear your thoughts then about the citizens that resisted such violations of our basic rights – regardless to which banner they carried at the time.
Michael Davis says
Paul, the activities that you describe are exactly what happened to over 4,000 Black people who were lynched throughout America. Or how about the hundreds that were murdered in Tulsa attack where your people flew airplanes and bombed homes of innocent Blacks? Or hundreds more innocent victims murdered in race riots in northern cities early in the 20th century.. Thousands, if not tens of thousands of Americans experienced exactly what you described. How would you feel if you were one of the 1,000 Black families left homelss in one Chicago race riot?
These were not the activiies of the government you so fear, but of White racists that you want us to honor with that offensive statue.
Paul Callahan says
Anne, Just a short time ago the MtM group, which I understand you are part of, was making extremely negligent and false claims about Talbot history, our Talbot ancestors and why the monument was placed. All have been proven false by the research of our local historians in the Preserve Talbot History coalition. With the publishing of the historical documents disproving these false claims their is little credibility that can be given to any follow on allegations by this group.
It is because of this extremism that there are now 400 blue yard signs in our citizens yards stating that our history must be preserved truthfully and accurately and is not to be manipulated to serve any group’s agenda.
Paul Callahan says
Michael Davis, Pertaining to your allegations – first off there were no airplanes in the civil war so the Talbot Boys never dropped bombs on anyone from an airplane, nor did they participate in any of the Chicago riots in 20th century unless they lived to be 150. There is no history that any of these men “lynched” anyone and all became good citizens. Their is no evidence that they participated in any ant- black organizations either. All of this has been researched in detail.
Your statement fully outlines the problem with your group – you look for the most extreme examples that happened anywhere and at anytime and apply it to Talbot county history and directly to our ancestors.
Your group also likes to label people – a tactic so often used throughout history to dehumanize an individual or group to justify the following inhumane actions to be taken against them. Stalin did this to exterminate millions, Hitler did this to the Jews. We did it to the Native Americans, many Americans were labeled “Communist” in the early 20th century. Marylanders were labeled “Southern sympathizer” or “Secessionist” so any opposition to Federal policies could be immediately swept away and imprisoned.
Today’s current label is “racist” such as you applied above and Mr. Potter did to our council. It appears your group wants to be the judge and jury of everyone and everything in Talbot to dispose of as you wish. Once your group applies this label what’s next? Just look back in history to see what happened.
Your group states that history does not matter, it is all about how someone “feels” today. Good luck with that idea – forgetting history never worked out well.
I also can’t help to see the dichotomy of your groups allegations. On one hand you say history does not matter – it is all about how someone “feels” today while at the same time bringing up past historical events to support you position. Well which is it?
Maybe it’s only the “history” that supports your group’s agenda that should be preserved and the rest discarded?
As Mr. Potter mentioned in his video your group has no interest in the process of democracy and will take matters into their own hands if you don’t get your way and afterwards you will blame our innocent citizens for not accepting your “reasonable offer”. Sounds like a scene from the movie “Scarface.”
All those things you mentioned are terrible and should never be forgotten, but have nothing to do with Talbot’s History or the Talbot Boys.
Brad H Feig says
Do we really care why the monument was erected. I would say no but what really matters is that it in todays environment it is objectionable to a large segment of you citizens. That’s reason enough to remove it.
Judy Wixted says
Excellent interview. Mr. Potter succinctly and eloquently states the case that a Confederate Monument has no place on a Courthouse lawn in 2021. Move the Confederate Monument to a more appropriate place so we may move forward together.
Jenny Pollard says
So much hatred for one another. Until we can all get a hold of our emotions and see where this pain stems from on both sides, it won’t matter what cement is setting where. It won’t mean anything but more separation. Saddening that we can only speak to one another with cutting, sly and divisive words meant to either hurt or push an agenda.