Edward Ward Carmack Statue
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Catalog Entry
Opinions come in different forms and different perspectives. In history, most have been brainwashed to show people how things are supposed to be when they aren't. For example, there have been many things to symbolize America and the people that have done so much for us. Have they really done so much for us? Did they or does American history white wash certain things? One artifact that I will be talking about is a statue of Edward Ward Carmack. This statue was taken down by ‘Black Lives Matter’ protesters.
Even though it's a materialistic thing, it symbolizes hatred. Edward Ward was a man of hatred. He lynched three black males while opening up a grocery store. He was shot and killed in 1908. Why tear it down? Why bring this statue down if it’s just a statue? There have been many saying that ‘BLM’ is a terrorist organization. That this group is angry and disrespectful (FOLEY). Why do you think that is? They are tired and tired of their voices not being heard. They are tired of being treated one way while others get treated another way. The next best thing to do is to show people how artifacts like this, hurt people. How it tears people of color down. Standing up for a man who murdered black men out of his free will is sick. There are many statues that are like this as well. Take Christopher Columbus. When we were younger, what did teachers tell us that he did? Discovered America. All of us believed that it was true and he gained the power he wanted. It was all wrong. He stole the land from Native Americans. His voyages across the Atlantic paved the way for European colonization and exploitation of the Americas. This is another form of “white washed history”. Why are people so upset? Things get left in the dust and people praise others who are not supposed to be praised.
Another thing I'd like to talk about is ties into people making things look better for themselves. We all know Parks, how she was the first black woman to fight to not give up her seat to a white man. That is what teachers taught you, correct? Wrong, she wasn't the first black woman to give up her seat. “Nine months before Rosa Parks' arrest for refusing to give up her bus seat, 15-year-old Claudette Colvin was arrested in Montgomery for the same act. The city's Black leaders prepared to protest, until it was discovered Colvin was pregnant and deemed an inappropriate symbol for their cause” (History.com). She was deemed “inappropriate.” How does that all make sense? So they gave it all to Rosa Parks. I didn't know that up until high school. Rosa Parks was a better candidate because she wasn't a threat to younger people about how teen pregnancy was okay. It’s very messed up and needs to be talked about. Things can't just be left in the dust because it doesn't look good for the media. This is why people have issues, this is why people are too afraid to stand up and talk about problems because they feel as if it wouldn't be as important if someone else does it. Black history is “American history.” But it’s saved for “Black History Month”. kids don’t receive the best possible education because we don’t always get the best books and curriculum. White women and men have done their Whitest duties to ensure they are in charge of what we all learn for better or for worse since always. So when black people are talked about, it's usually because they need to be talked about.
In my opinion people like to use the phrase “it's in the past”, “just forget about it, it doesn't happen anymore.” It might not happen anymore but that symbolizes hate is still in the air and you can't forget that. How are people supposed to tell you what hurts and what does not. How are you supposed to know what a black person feels if you are not a black person? You can Try to get a sense of understanding but you will never understand. Sometimes it's as if “you're being so dramatic”, “that was a joke you're being a snowflake”, “I get made fun of because you're not the only one.” Those are comments that I have gotten in the past by white people. If something genuinely offends me and you tell me that I have no right to be offended, who are you to say that? You don't know what it's like to be judged by everything you do based on A different race.There have been comments about the way I speak. Based on the way I speak, “I am not black.” What's that supposed to mean? Because I talk properly, and I'm respectful, and I have manners, I am not black? This is where stereotyping comes into play, because I'm not ghetto, I don't speak like a thug, I don't want to fight everyone, I'm automatically assumed as “trying to be white”. What's the point of it all? I really just want people who don't understand to take a step back and maybe get in their heads of how you would feel if you were in a person of color shoes. So when people of color get offended by certain statues of certain things that people say, there is a reason. It's the history behind it. It's the significance that others feel pain while others see freedom that is just not there. The significance of my artifacts are to show that there are people that are united, there are people that want to stand up for each other and help each other.
Artifact Owner
History.com Editors. "Montgomery Bus Boycott." History, 3 February 2010, https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/montgomery-bus-boycott.
"How Statues Are Falling Around The World." New York Times, 24 June 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/24/us/confederate-statues-photos.html?auth=link-dism iss-goo gle 1tap.