Statues

 (cont'd from yesterday's post)

Last summer in the U.S. we were horrified to see statues of historical figures - including Thomas Jefferson - torn down and defaced. The French saw it too, and the rest of the world. 

Thomas Jefferson was without doubt a flawed man. He did own slaves at the same time that he and other founders tried to reduce or eliminate slavery. The rational way to address his faults does not include destruction or violence.

The French president addressed the subject in a televised talk to his country last June. He promised he would be "uncompromising in the face of racism, anti-Semitism and discrimination.” And, he  said, France “will not erase any trace, or any name, from its history ... it will not take down any statue. We should look at all of our history together with lucidity” including relations with Africa, with a goal of “truth” instead of “denying who we are.”

from 13abc