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Mon 13 Nov, 2006 09:23 am
Ga. Display Lists Vets' Names by Race
Quote:BUTLER, Ga. (AP) -- A display in a central Georgia community divides the names of 800 local veterans into two lists, marked in large type: "Whites" and "Colored."
The display has been in the lobby of the Taylor County courthouse since 1944, honoring servicemembers who fought in World War II. The two lists are mounted side by side behind glass in two large frames.
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They're adding a third, integrated, list, but leaving the originals.
At the very least they could take down the offending titles.
Sheesh.
I don't see why people shouldn't be reminded that Georgia was once a segregated state. How can you keep the memory of segregation alive when you remove all its public manifestations?
Should we occasionaly burn crosses in peoples front yards to be reminded of racism and the KKK?
I don't think people need to be reminded. I think it shows that maybe the black veterans still aren't respected as much as the white veterans.
But that's just me.
My initial reaction was to agree with Thomas, but Bella's response struck a chord. We don't need living examples of segregated water fountains, Jim Crow railroad cars or other manifestations of "separate but equal" to remember that segregation existed. It was a sign of disrespect to post those segregated lists and it will be a true acknowledgement of the ultimate sacrifice paid by these men to take them down. Neither death nor sacrifice respects the color line.
Moving it to a museum would seem to be more appropriate than continuing to display it at the courthouse.
But that's just my opinion....
Bella Dea wrote:Should we occasionaly burn crosses in peoples front yards to be reminded of racism and the KKK?
No -- but neither should you remove any statues of Supreme Court justice Hugo Black, a former KKK member. Declining to revive acute distress is one thing. Rewriting history is another. You can favor one and at the same time oppose the other.
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