Farewell Silent Sam

On Monday, August 20, the Confederate statue known as Silent Sam that has stood tall on the Campus of the University at Chapel Hill North Carolina for decades, met its demise.

For years, students have been fighting to get the controversial monument removed from the campus, but have faced push back from university officials. After the demolition of Sam, even faculty members were overjoyed.

“I mean, it feels biblical. It’s thundering and starting to rain. It’s almost like heaven is trying to wash away the soiled, contaminated remains,” Dwayne Dixon, a professor at the school said to the The Daily Tar Heel.

Even students who are new to UNC are glad to see the statue go.

“I feel liberated — like I’m a part of something big. It’s literally my fourth day here”, Natalia Walker, a freshman told the paper.

Although the “attacks” on Silent Sam have been going on for decades, they got increasingly worse after the riot in Charlottesville, Virginia last year, when a group of white nationalists gathered for a “Unite the Right” march, and a car drove directly into the crowd of counter protestors, killing 1.

Despite the fact that some people saw Silent Sam as a piece of history, following the protest and and the removal of the statue, the tone on campus has been one of celebration, according to the New York Times.

“It was all smiles and joy and dancing and jubilation, to be honest, Jasmine Howard, 28, told the New York Times, “It was really a joyous moment.”

Carol L. Folt, the chancellor of the university addressed the destruction of the statue in an open letter to the university saying that Silent Sam “has been divisive for years”, but she went on to condemn the actions from the protest, calling them “unlawful and dangerous”.

Leaders in the communities surrounding UNC have ignored the fact people found the monument to be divisive, and openly criticized the actions of the protestors, calling them “unacceptable, dangerous, and incomprehensible”, according to The New York Times.

The removal of Silent Sam is a historic moment in time. A monument that has been seen as divisive for decades faced a guerilla demolition. What is yet to be seen though, is the aftermath. This act of protest could either mean unity for the students, faculty, and staff at UNC, or it could bring about more divisiveness and strife. Only time will tell. Good luck UNC.