Erasing history

[Laurie Verge]

Time for one of my sermons...

I think that, once again, this Stone Mountain story is a prime example of the attempts of a few to wipe out a very significant part of our American story. Not only should we preserve history, but we should make every effort to UNDERSTAND it - and the people who made history (whether for good or bad).

This is strictly a sidebar, but to me it reflects once again that current and future generations know little about and have no respect for history: One of my staff members is working with our county's school system on a federally funded grant called Teaching American History. This past weekend, she helped map out a tour of African American sites in Washington, D.C. related to the Civil War to Civil Rights theme.

One of the sites that will definitely be included is the African American Civil War Memorial and Museum. This is a great little museum that has taken years to become a reality in one of the poorer neighborhoods in the city. Outside its doors is an impressive monument in tribute to the U.S. Colored Troops. This past weekend (and probably for weeks to come) there was a barricade surrounding the monument in order to prevent the skateboarders of the neighborhood from using it as part of their "track." Their continuous use, despite efforts to deter them, has resulted in damage to the monument with no thought to its significance.

One of the best programs that we have offered at Surratt House over the years was a PowerPoint presentation by the curator of that museum, Hari Jones. Very dynamic and also very well-versed on BOTH sides of the Civil War debate without being either an accuser or an apologist, Mr. Jones spoke for nearly two hours and fielded questions from a SRO audience for nearly another hour without one single person leaving the room - and he did it all without notes. And, the audience of about 80 people was very diverse.

This past Surratt conference included a bus trip on Friday to that monument and museum, where Mr. Frank Smith, founder of the project, gave the tour and was equally as knowledgeable (but confined by a time schedule). He was very well-received by our tour group - which I should mention was all white. No matter race, creed, or gender, the majority of Americans can handle delicate historical issues when presented with ALL the sides to the story.