Evan G. Conard (Scott Depot, WV) - December 23, 2020

To the editor:

Removal of Confederate monuments, like the Robert E. Lee statue in Murray, Kentucky, is not cancel culture. Removal of the statue will not suddenly erase Robert E. Lee, secession, the Confederacy, and the Civil War from history. Rather, removal of these statues, particularly from public spaces, will ensure that history is placed in the proper context.

These are basic facts: secession and the armed conflict perpetrated by the Confederacy during the Civil War was an act of treason, and secession occurred out of a direct desire to preserve and perpetuate the institution of slavery. Confederate monuments and memorials are simply nonverbal tools used for intimidation and the tacit endorsement of a system of racial discrimination.

Sherman Neal first petitioned for removal of the Confederate statue on the Calloway County courthouse grounds in June 2020. Sherman and I were law school classmates at West Virginia University, and I wrote directly to Calloway County elected officials in June to lend my voice in support of my friend and the efforts of others in the Murray area. It has now been more than six months since Sherman first requested the removal of the Confederate statue, and I again write in support of the efforts to relocate the Confederate monument.

History will not be erased by the removal of Confederate monuments and memorials. Instead of glorifying the memory of the Confederacy, we should look back with shame so as to not repeat prior transgressions. We can do better by thinking on the sins of our history to ensure a just future for all. Calloway County can do better by removing the Confederate memorial from the courthouse grounds.

Evan G. Conard

Scott Depot, West Virginia

The foregoing was a "Letter to the Editor" submitted to and printed by the Murray Ledger & Times. The entry has not been edited and is presented as it was printed on the date listed with the entry.

From June 5, 2020, through Sept. 30, 2021, the Murray Ledger & Times printed 50 "Letters to the Editor" related to Murray's Confederate monument. Those 50 letters were written by 38 different people; and of those individuals, 22 were in favor of relocating the monument, 11 wrote in support of it remaining in its present location and five did not take a clear stance on either side. The letter above is part of a collection curated by The Sentinel to provide an overview of the sentiments expressed.