Odds & Ends
In the News
The Shenandoah County (VA) School Board voted this week not to reverse a decision in 2020 to rename two school that honor Confederate generals.
With the election of the new board members, Mr. Helsley was seen as the deciding vote to bring Stonewall Jackson back. But once a hero to the people he calls “the right wingers,” he became a target when his current intentions were made clear. “Nothing good will come of putting it back,” he said. He raised the hypotheticals of a Black student teacher coming to the school or Black basketball players arriving for a game in the gym. How would they feel if Stonewall Jackson was brought back?
“Empathy!” he said again.
Four Confederate monuments removed in Baltimore back in 2017 will become part of an exhibit in a Los Angeles art museum.
Baltimore's monuments touch on many different aspects of the national conversation surrounding Confederate monuments. Each is significant as an art object, having been made by prominent artists of the time and offer entry points to talk about historical memory, use of public space, and the Lost Cause. They are also significant because Baltimore is one of a handful of cities that removed their Confederate monuments following the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville in 2017.—Hannah Burstein, Project Manager
There has been resistance in the past to placing these monuments in exhibits. Some people, including activists and public historians, have resisted relocation to museums, but perhaps we have achieved sufficient distance from the events of 2017 to reassess how we might use these monuments to educate.
This video clip recently went viral. At this point such a question is little more than low hanging fruit. Seriously, was anyone surprised by this guy’s response?
New to the Civil War Memory Library
I recently finished Elizabeth Leonoard’s new biography about Benjamin Butler. It’s a fabulous study that I highly recommend. I will have more to say about it next week.
Robert C. Conner, James Montgomery: Abolitionist Warrior (Casemate, 2022).
Michael Hines, A Worthy Piece of Work: The Untold Story of Madeline Morgan and the Fight For Black History in Schools (Beacon Press, 2022).
Louis L. Picone, Grant’s Tomb: The Epic Death of Ulysses S. Grant and the Making of An American Pantheon (Arcade, 2021).
Holly A. Pinheiro Jr. The Families’ Civil War: Black Soldiers and the Fight For Racial Justice (The University of Georgia Press, 2022).
Beach Reading
Looking for a good history book to bring with you to the beach this summer? I got you covered. Thanks to all of you for sharing your suggestions. Feel free to add to the list.
I see that Mountain View High School is on Stonewall Lane🙄
Thankful that Shenandoah County is not changing the school names back, but those in favor will work harder to change the makeup of the board.
From https://www.dnronline.com/news/shenandoah_county/shenandoah-school-names-wont-change/article_387a191c-f425-5020-be8c-13573b698e59.html
“‘I’ve heard a couple of people talk about how they’ve never experienced racism or seen racism in the schools. The funny part is that the only people who have said that tonight are white,’ said Kyle Ford, a resident of Woodstock. ‘I didn't experience it — it’s probably because I'm white.’
“‘I appreciate those who have never experienced racism. Great! Put on another skin color someday. Try somebody else’s shoes,’ said Anne Keels, a 1968 African American graduate from Stonewall Jackson.”
In the meantime, what’s their library budget look like?