Of Monuments and Men...

The atrocity that was slavery in America was perpetrated by the rich and powerful and abetted by many of the politicians and presidents that we have lauded throughout history by name and statue. These men were racist by any definition and culpable in the decimation of the African American Community through legislation that created things like convict leasing, jim crow laws, separate but equal, redlining, the War on Drugs and (3) Strikes (which resulted in nearly four decades of mass incarceration). The cumulative effect of these and other racially driven legislation are what continues to animate racial tension today. Raising the collective American consciousness to these things is long overdue.

If there is any hope of healing and restoration it starts with acknowledging the un-healed wounds from our racial past that still fester and calling out racism and bigotry when it occurs today. The forefathers aspired when they proclaimed that America was founded on the truth that “all men were created equal”, but if we are honest we know we have never really lived up to that truth. However, if we have the courage to address these things as they are stirred up by our current political climate, we may have a chance to…