EDITORIAL: Racism MSU makes peace on Lincoln monument

Aug. 28—A new Abraham Lincoln monument and historical display at Minnesota State University is a good example of how education and understanding can move a polarizing debate to a peaceful debate.

A statue of President Abraham Lincoln that had long occupied the central hallway of the student union was recently moved to the library and transformed into a historical display in a space where discussion and learning can take place. The discussion on moving the statue was prompted in part by Native American students who saw the statue as a symbol of "the man who massacred your people" while others saw it in the historical context of American patriotism and the man who ended slavery and saved the union.

Lincoln approved the execution of 40 Dakota warriors and 38 were hanged at the end of the U.S.-Dakota War in 1862 in Mankato in the largest mass execution in U.S. history.

To its credit, MSU formed a diverse committee of cultural and academic scholars and university leaders to study the issue of moving the statue and finding its place in MSU's learning environment. It also conducted a Zoom forum for the public.

The committee ultimately decided the monument should go in the MSU library with accompanying educational panels that recounted Lincoln's history with the Dakota War and his legacy in U.S. history. The display offers quotes from diverse voices including one of those who was hanged, saying he did no wrong but followed the advice of an elder to follow the white man's law.

It includes voices who were critics of Lincoln and praise of the alumni-donated statue that is 96 years old with a starting place in Old Main's Lincoln Library.

The new exhibit was peered reviewed by historians and indigenous scholars across the country. And another perspective on Lincoln comes from African Americans who didn't necessarily love Lincoln, but loved that he ended slavery, said Timothy Berry, associate vice president for faculty affairs and equity initiatives.

The decision is good for the community and MSU. It puts the focus on education and discussion, something MSU President Edward Inch pointed was not possible with the previous location. The goal of the new display is for visitors to think, discuss and do additional research.

The Zoom meeting the committee conducted produced polarizing views, with some saying the statute should be removed from campus completely and others saying it should stay in the union. But neither of those viewpoints promoted "learning, study or inquiry," said Chris Corley, dean of library and learning at MSU and chair of the committee.

In the end, the university reached a good compromise turning the issue of Lincoln's legacy, and his flaws, into a charge for further learning, contemplation and consideration of how Lincoln's history shapes America today.

Lincoln isn't just a statue. He's a complex story. And the new display is more about education than adoration.