A Confederate monument doesn't belong in today's Manatee County

The Manatee County commissioners may spend public funds to re-erect a Confederate memorial that was taken down in 2017. It's estimated that it will cost $40,000 to repair the memorial and even more money for the reinstallation.

This proposal is misguided in the extreme.

The War Between the States was our nation’s bloodiest conflict with more than 600,000 casualties among the soldiers who fought on its battlefields. The Confederate figures who are hailed on the monument – Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson and Jefferson Davis – had no connection to Manatee County, and there is no evidence they ever visited the county.

There is nothing honorable about these men, or what they did. They endorsed and fought, at enormous cost, to defend the enslavement of other human beings. Their names should be relegated to history’s dustbin, not carved into stone.

A more appropriate memorial

The memorial was originally funded by the Judah P. Benjamin Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. It was installed in 1924, and it remains a relic of the lamentable Jim Crow era.

A more fitting local memorial would be one for the area citizens – and there are at least six known individuals – who were hideously lynched in Manatee and Sarasota counties. They were human beings who were denied justice, equal protection of the law and the due process of law.

There is certainly no shortage of local organizations that would welcome the county commission's cooperation and support in helping to erect a more suitable monument. They include:

∎ The Sarasota Manatee Remembrance Project, which is working to create a memorial to those whose lives were cut short by their fellow citizens.

∎ The Suncoast Antiracism Initiative, which is working to fight racism and foster unity in our community.

∎ ASALH Manasota , which is working to promote, research and preserve information about Black history.

All of these groups, both collectively and individually, oppose the prospect of Manatee County bringing back a symbol that represents so much more than merely commemorating an armed conflict or perpetuating the “Lost Cause.”

What's the motivation behind this?

It has been reported that the Manatee County commissioners believe the Confederate memorial should never have been taken down. This belief is wrong: It should never have been erected on public land, and it should never have been maintained at public expense for several decades. To reinstall a memorial to the darkest epoch of our nation’s history – and to those who caused it – brings shame to both those seeking to erect it and to our county.

The natural question is this: What is the motive behind the notion to reinstall a Confederate memorial? Manatee County is in the midst of explosive growth. Many of the newer residents have relocated from states that fought against the Confederacy. Do our commissioners rationally believe that this memorial reflects the sentiments of the broader diverse community? Is there some unspoken desire to bring back sunset laws or separate water fountains?

There must surely be other projects more worthy of our public funds and our commissioners’ valuable time. And there must surely be other projects that would better advance peace and justice in Manatee County.

The words of Abraham Lincoln ring so true at this moment: “Nothing is more damaging to you than to do something that you believe is wrong."

Dale Hibbard is a Bradenton resident with an active interest in community issues.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Confederate monument has no place in modern-day Manatee County