Dear Ms. Lunelle,
Generally when my babies come knocking at my door, I get the feeling they come to teach me!
On this Sunday afternoon one had a newspaper copy from the Morganton Herald highlighting a story about the City Council removing the Confederate soldier’s Cenotaph from the Courthouse ground.
One young White man in the article said that he believed that it should be removed as a gesture to Black folks for all the bad things White folks of Morganton had done to them.
“Please!” would come a reply from one of the young Black women present.
“Mr. HK, now this is the unwarranted White folk guilt that you told us about months ago. Remember when you told us about the Union army that came to Asheville and conspired with the Mayor that if he fed his men, they would not ransacked or burn the City.
After eating up most of the citizens’ foodstuffs, they left and rode East to Morganton doing what they did best....burning, looting, murdering, plundering and raping. Then they doubled back to Asheville; people thought it was snowing in the City as they ripped feather beds open looking for jewelry and valuables they thought might be hidden there. Had a fair share of the aforementioned atrocities put upon the citizens before leaving.
We should make it clear that the Integrated Confederate armed forces never carried out this behavior on the Northern citizens, and certainly not upon its own people. And the lies they tell about the Confederate soldiers Cenotaph…”
“You go girl, tell it!”, would come the cry from Monica, a young White girl!
“It's always Jim Crowe, and White supremacy degrading the efforts of our mothers, grandmothers, aunts and young women who erected these Memorials in memory of their sons and arguably daughters who never returned home. And not to forget those who did maimed and crippled soon to die. And that Memorial was for an integrated armed forces unlike the Yankees. “
“Let me help you, baby girl” came the shout from Julie Ann.
“If you have ever been in Morganton, the White people there are indicative of the Christian White folk charity giving people spoke about in the Slave Narratives ...very kind, very helpful to all no matter their race, creed, religion, or National origin.
Just like all over the South, no Yankee came into our towns, our cites to free or talked about freeing slaves. The slave got raped, killed, robbed, used to do menial labor and forced to the head of the Union lines as cannon fodder. And what they did to the African people after the War was over would put a smile on the face of Satan. So, Mr. HK, on your traveling and speaking, please tell the people of Morganton and all over the South to leave the Cenotaphs of our heroes and arguably heroines standing.”
And finally, one of the young men would chime in.....
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