Silent Sam is more about sacrifice than racism

TO THE EDITOR:

Last week I was showing our beautiful university to a friend. I was dismayed to see food splattered on the front of Silent Sam's pedestal.

I realize that many in North Carolina would like nothing better than to see Silent Sam torn down. I also realize that some would argue that the men he enshrines deserve to be forgotten.

However I believe Silent Sam rightfully stands as a monument to more than 1000 students and alumni who fought or died defending their homes and this state.

I urge you to remember that these people despite what they believed about slavery might have been your ancestors. They might have fought alongside or to defend your ancestors and this state from a horrifyingly destructive war.

I refuse to believe that the men Silent Sam memorializes sacrificed their education their future and their lives simply to continue the abhorrent institution of slavery that still casts a shadow on our society. Rather I believe they fought because it was their duty to defend their home — just as Sam's inscription reads.

In future try to remember the perspective of those dead students and citizens of North Carolina and don't defile their memorial.



William McLeon Harris

Sophomore

History Political Science