Mackey To Present Resolution To County Commission Asking Removal Of Confederate Monument

Wednesday, October 7, 2020

County Commissioner Warren Mackey said Wednesday he will present a resolution asking the commission to remove the bust of Confederate General A.P. Stewart from the County Courthouse grounds.

A similar move took place in 2017 with only Commissioners Mackey and Greg Beck supporting it.

A number of speakers at the Zoom meeting asked the commission to remove the statue, saying it is an image of racism.

"These are traitors who fought against the U.S. government. You can't celebrate that," one speaker said.

A single speaker on the other side said the statue should remain "as a reminder of the need for forgiveness and unity."

Commissioner David Sharpe spoke in favor of the removal. He said other monuments were at the courthouse honoring others "and we should remove all of them so we don't say one group is above another."

The other monument on the courthouse lawn is of Cherokee Chief John Ross.

The bronze Stewart monument was placed in 1919 by the United Daughters of the Confederacy with approval of then county government leaders.

Linda Moore: Opening talk

Main Topics:

Presenting the petition and the list of over 1,000 signers
Role of commission and TN Historical Commission
Brief comments on our speakers

Transcript or Detailed Outline:

Thank commissioners
Read the petition.
Present list of signatures, along with number.
Comment on role of commission, Tennessee Historical Association
Briefly describe our speakers (e.g., businesspeople, historians, retired military, etc.), many with Southern roots, al
l am concerned about community.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak today. My name is Linda Moore and I live on Lookout Mountain. I’m a graduate of Covenant College and a retired elementary and middle school teacher. I am one of a number of speakers who wish to address the commissioners, the mayor, and all of you here today, to present and discuss a petition that has been signed by over 1,200 people.

Personally, I am here today because, as one of my favorite authors wrote, “[f]aith in God is more than believing the right things. It’s living the right way because you believe the right things.”* I believe it is living the wrong way to have a permanent reminder on display in this community of a general who fought for the Confederacy--where certain human beings were thought to be less equal in value, were owned by other human beings and forced to live and work at the will of someone who thought of them as property.

Our speakers today wish to thank you for all the hard work you do to keep this county running. We also thank you for granting us this opportunity to address the commission. Our petition, which we will send to you shortly, reads as follows.

Move the Confederate General from the County Courthouse NOW!

We, the undersigned call on the Hamilton County Commission to vote for the removal of the statue of A.P. Stewart, a Confederate general, which is in the place of honor in front of the Hamilton County Courthouse.

· It is a symbol of the Confederacy, which fought to preserve slavery.

· It is a slap in the face to black Americans who have suffered from racism for over 400 years.

· It is a symbol of oppression that plays into the hands of modern white supremacists.

· It is an offense to Americans of all races who believe in justice and racial equality in our country.

· It belongs in a history museum or archive, not in a place of honor in front of a court of law.

We know that the Tennessee Historical Commission has the final word on this matter. However, as stated in the official summary of the Tennessee Heritage Protection Act, “A public entity exercising control of a memorial may petition the Tennessee Historical Commission in writing for a waiver from the prohibition [of relocating, etc., a memorial].” As we understand it, the Hamilton County Commission is this entity. It is you who must petition the Historical Commission to relocate this bust, and your word--and your vote-- means a lot to us.

There are nine of us here today. (The tenth was trapped at work.) We will talk about why we support this petition, with each of us addressing different topics. We speak with our minds and our hearts. And we come from a wide variety of occupations and backgrounds: business owners, teachers, professionals, electricians, historians, entrepreneurs, professors and military veterans. Some of us have very deep Southern roots. We all care deeply about our community. We ask you to listen to us with your minds and your hearts. We want to listen to you in return, we want to have a discussion in which we all respect and learn from each other.

Thank you for your time.

*NEW MORNING MERCIES, Paul David Tripp, from October 5 reading.

Darrell Walsh:

Main Topics:

Extent of diversity and inclusion in the US military
Value of diversity and inclusion in the US military
Statue is alienating soldiers protecting our country

Transcript or Detailed Outline:

I served 31 years in the Army, including deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, and I want to tell you about racial diversity in the United States Armed Services: 57% of US service members are white Americans; 16% are African Americans; 16% are Hispanic Americans; 4% are Asian Americans; and 2% are American Indians. So, at least 38% of active duty military personnel are Asian, African, Hispanic, and Native American.

The US military has taken significant steps over the past decades to build a more diverse and inclusive force; military cohesion which hinges on racial diversity is considered to be a positive group attribute that contributes to the military’s ability to be a global superpower.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the continuing war on terrorism are being fought by a racially diverse group of men and women who are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

Some of them, like myself, will come back to this city, which has a statue of a Confederate general in a public place of honor. This statue is a symbol of racism, and it should not be the case that we continue celebrating that dark part of American history. It is not just that the statue represents the white supremacy of the Confederacy; the purpose of building the statue in 1919 was the perpetuation of white supremacy.

The presence of this Confederate statue alienates our diverse service members who are actively engaged in protecting our nation.

Let me end with a quotation from recent remarks made to his cadets by Lt. General Darryl Williams, Superintendent of West Point: “During these unsettling times, I want us to recommit to eradicating racism from within our ranks by treating all people with dignity and respect…. Muster the moral courage necessary to confront and solve problems with effective, honest and empathetic dialogue that seeks solutions rather than sowing seeds of division and disunity.”

Please, Commissioners, we ask that you treat our service members returning to Hamilton County with dignity and respect, by voting to relocate the Confederate bust.

Kevin Burton:

Main Topics:

History of Stewart bust: the United Daughters of the Confederacy
The Lost Cause
Connection between the bust, the UDC, the Lost Cause, and Black intimidation

Transcript or Detailed Outline:

The bust of Confederate General A. P. Stewart here in Chattanooga was erected by the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) in 1919. The UDC was founded in 1894, to vindicate the Confederacy and emphasize that southerners had fought to preserve states’ rights, which effectively masked the true catalyst of the Civil War--race-based slavery.

The primary task of the UDC was to champion the Confederacy. They accomplished this objective by intentionally targeting white children. By indoctrinating new generations to cherish white supremacy through the means of public history--Confederate-friendly textbooks, rebel flags, and monuments--the UDC ensured that the Lost Cause would prevail for years to come.

Monuments were among the UDC’s most visible achievements. These daughters of slave-owners funded hundreds of poignant memorials to their ancestors.[1] Here are some inscriptions on these monuments:

“The principles for which they fought can never die”

“The cause tho’ lost, still just”

“No nation rose so pure and white, none ever fell so spotless”

The inscription on our Confederate monument states simply: “A. P. Stewart, Lt. General C.S.A, 1861-1865.” The bust is attired in a magnificent Confederate uniform and is striking a regal pose. One speaker at the bust’s dedication in 1919 declared, “Sooner or later, all will stand for what the heroes of the Confederacy stood.”[2]

And for what did these “heroes” stand? The myth of the Lost Cause: the antebellum South as an idyllic time, the Confederacy as a just and noble enterprise, and white slave-owners as benevolent protectors of their slaves. Lost Cause propaganda is a blatant misrepresentation of the past.

The Stewart bust was dedicated in the middle of the Jim Crow era of white supremacy. In 1919 alone, there were 76 known lynchings of Black people and dozens of so-called “race riots,” including one in Knoxville in which a white mob attacked Black businesses, supported by the National Guard using machine guns on Black citizens defending their property.

Recently the Southern Historical Association endorsed a document that included this statement: “Memorials to the Confederacy were intended, in part, to obscure the terrorism required to overthrow Reconstruction, and to intimidate African Americans politically and isolate them from the mainstream of public life.”[3] To this day, Confederate monuments remain symbols that attract white supremacists.

The bust of General A. P. Stewart certainly represents a part of the history of this county, not only the Civil War but also the Jim Crow era of violence, intimidation, segregation, and disenfranchisement of Black citizens. It is indeed part of our heritage—but the ugliest part. Seek reconciliation, commissioners. Move this bust from the spotlight.

[1] “The Costs of the Confederacy,” Smithsonian Magazine, December 2018, smithsonianmag.com

[2] “Memorial to Gen. A. P. Stewart,” Confederate Veteran, Vol 27 No. 6, June 1919

[3] “AHA Statement on Confederate Monuments (August 2017),” American Historical Association, historians.com

Lisa Diller

Main Topics:

The power of statues
The values represented by the statue and perceived by passersby
New statues representing our values now

Transcript or Detailed Outline:

I am Lisa Diller, a resident of Warren Mackey’s district, a Bible-believing Christian and a professor at Southern. As a historian, I want my community to learn about the past and to have people honored who went before us, whose ideals or actions are worthy of building on and taking inspiration from.

Statues are not history. They are representations of people or events that some people at a specific time and place thought were worthy of holding up as examples for emulating, as vital to who the community was and wanted to be.

Visual history is strong, more straightforward and more accessible than the “complex” history that I and my historian colleagues engage in when we are teaching in the classroom. In the classroom we can consider lots of nuance, show a range of motivations and perspectives. In contrast, a statue says with unambiguous power—we believe in this person and what they stood for.

General Stewart fought for the Confederate States of America, whose reason for existence included a very clear insistence that black Americans were not to be full participatory citizens of their nation. The statue was erected at a time when the rights of black Americans were being heavily restricted and intimidation was being used heavily against them. The values and goals of the Confederacy are hurtful to many people in my county. These are not the values I want children or my students to take on board when they walk by the bust of Confederate General Stewart. Most passersby don’t have the time or ability or even interest in reading deeply about Stewart or the nuances of his service and life. All they see is our county honoring the Confederacy and they know what that means in terms of race, in terms of the places in society of black and white citizens.

I work at Southern Adventist University, which is ranked as the most diverse college in the Southeast. Many of our students may want to stay in Hamilton County and start businesses and contribute to our great county. I don’t want any of them choosing to move elsewhere because they see our honoring of a Confederate general as creating a hostile environment where they wouldn’t want to raise their children.

Our courthouse lawn is precious territory. There’s not much of it. The people we honor there matter. There are so many honorable Chattanoogans of all races who lived their lives here and worked for our communities that we don’t need to be held hostage to the fundraising efforts of the Daughters of the Confederacy 100 years ago. Just because they wanted to honor this man and his values doesn’t mean we have to continue giving that statue prime location.

Relocating statues doesn’t mean we are taking down history, just that we are making space for others who another generation thinks of as worthy of respect and honor. We need people who represent who we actually are today and who all Chattanoogans can look to with pride, without feeling fear and pain regarding the activities they engaged in while they were alive. Stewart wasn’t from our county and didn’t live here long. Respectfully, Commissioners, let’s put this statue in a museum or in the national park he helped start where the nuance needed to understand it can take place.

Lunard Lewis

Transcript or Detailed Outline:

My esteemed commissioners, it is a privilege to address you today, and I humbly ask for your brief indulgence.

My name is Lunard Lewis. My wife and I moved here in 1978 to go to college, and we could not have picked a better place to live and to raise four of our children.

I’m retired from both the Army Reserve where I served in Saudi Arabia during Desert Storm and from Erlanger Health System where I worked as an electrician.

I’m here not to simply ask for the removal of the statue of A. P. Stewart in all his Confederate regalia, but for its replacement, one that does not represent the enslavement of my ancestors and their subsequent disenfranchisement after the war, but one that represents the greatness of our city, county and state.

When I was first asked to support this cause, I was suspicious of this being another knee-jerk reaction of those who are tearing down statues. To do such is not only illegal, but it’s also stupid and wrong. They are destroying history. And as some of the historians in our group will tell us, to forget history is to be doomed to repeat it.

But when I was told that the erection of the statue was funded by the United Daughters of the Confederacy, I had no doubt that it never should have been put up in the first place. Is there any doubt the statue would belong where it is if it had been funded by the Klu Klux Klan?

Both groups do not represent the ideal that all men are created equal and are endowed by our Creator with the rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

So, I appeal to you my honorable commissioners on the basis of all that is great in our county, do the right thing and replace Confederate General Stewart. Thank you for your patient attention.

[1] “The Costs of the Confederacy,” Smithsonian Magazine, December 2018, smithsonianmag.com

[2] “Memorial to Gen. A. P. Stewart,” Confederate Veteran, Vol 27 No. 6, June 1919

[3] “AHA Statement on Confederate Monuments (August 2017),” American Historical Association, historians.com

Susan Eckelmann Berghel:

Read by Sarah Burton

Main Topics:

Diversity within the military during WWII
Historical legacy of American hypocrisy: Black soldiers fighting nazism and fascism abroad returning to racial terror and Jim Crow in the United States
Foreign visitors see Americans celebrating the racial ideologies they fought against during WWII

Transcript or Detailed Outline:

Chattanoogan Charlie Kyle served in the 598th Ordnance Ammunition Company during World War Two. Americans honor those who sacrificed to make the world safer for democracy.

But few Chattanoogans know of Kyle’s service abroad when he helped prepare the British for the Allied invasion at Normandy, a critical turning point during the war. Defined by the collective fight against tyranny, World War Two represents one of the most important episodes in world history.

Chattanoogan Charlie Kyle was one of many Black Americans who served our country to preserve democracy and end the brutal, racist, and genocidal regime of Nazi Germany. Over 1.2 million Black soldiers demonstrated their commitment to the nation by serving in World War Two, even as they faced racial discrimination and were relegated to segregated units. When they came home, Black veterans like Charlie Kyle, along with defense workers at home, experienced disenfranchisement, lynching terrorism, and racism at work and in their everyday lives across the nation. The prevalence and acceptability of white supremacy in America exposed the nation’s double-standard regarding race-based ideologies, and crushed Black Americans’ wartime hopes of finding a new birth of freedom and democracy at home. Upon his return from the war in 1945, Charlie Kyle experienced racial exclusion and discrimination. Yet, he remained “proud of the United States" and reminded Americans that he “helped save" democracy.

To this day, no statue in Chattanooga commemorates Black servicemen, like Charlie Kyle, who fought abroad against racial genocide, exclusion, and discrimination.

When new residents, international students, and tourists from all around the world visit the heart of Chattanooga’s downtown, they take notice of the statue of Alexander P. Stewart placed prominently at the grand entrance of the courthouse. They do not see an honorable gentleman who made worthy contributions to the United States; they see a Confederate general who fought against the United States to preserve slavery. To many, he resembles the Nazis, who defended racial ideology that culminated in the racial genocide of over 6 million Jews. Stewart represents the America that defends white supremacy and promotes the racial subordination of people of color. He stands for a divided America.

But Chattanoogans can choose to commemorate war heroes like Charlie Kyle who stand for honor, democracy, and a United States. A statue of Kyle would not only commemorate American wartime victories, it would stand as Chattanooga’s present-day promise toward justice, equality, and inclusion.

Jean Smith:

Main Topics:

My fear as I grew up and as I continue to live and travel in Tennessee
Does the county display the bust to celebrate violence and promote fear?
Commissioners, stop celebrating violent terrorism.

Transcript or Detailed Outline:

Hamilton County Commissioners, I am most thankful for the opportunity to express my thoughts on why the General Alexander P. Stewart bust must be removed from the grounds of the Hamilton County government location.

I grew up in Chattanooga, TN. As a child, fear was my constant companion whenever I saw the Confederate flag proudly and prominently displayed at the Confederama located in the St. Elmo area of Chattanooga. This fear stayed with me as I grew into the various stages of life. Yes, it remains with me now, especially when I travel through rural areas to reach TN state parks to simply hike and enjoy the outdoors.

I ask why would the county of my birth seek to proudly and prominently display the bust of a supporter of the Confederate states whose mission was to maintain people who look like me in a state of perpetual enslavement? Would it be to commemorate and celebrate all of the violence and terror committed by the Confederate States of America against the United States of America? Would it be to give tactic approval to the Jim Crow laws and lynchings that were used to intimidate and suppress the civil and human rights of people who look like me? Would it be to serve as a source of constant humiliation, disrespect, and fear for those black citizens of the state and their ancestors who bore this tranny and terrorism without intervention from the state or local governments?

Hamilton County Commissioners and Mayor, please change the course of history and help us move to a place where the violent terrorism of the past is no longer celebrated and remove the bust of the Confederate General A.P. Stewart from the grounds of the Hamilton County government.

Mike Hemsley:

Main Topics:

Family history as slave owners
My evolution on race
Inappropriateness of statue

Transcript or Detailed Outline:

Mayor Coppinger, Ladies and Gentlemen of the Commission. Thank you for the opportunity to address you concerning the statue of A.P. Stewart. Much has already been said with which I agree, so I will talk only about my evolving perceptions about race.

William and Judith Hemsley arrived in Maryland in 1658. They established a plantation on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Their sons and daughters intermarried with other landed families, so I am distantly related to some historical figures, including Lieutenant Colonel Tench Tilghman, Aide de Camp to Washington; William Hemsley, member of the Continental Congress; Lieutenant Colonel George Armistead, commander of Ft. McHenry during the War of 1812; and Confederate Brigadier General Lewis Armistead, commander of Armistead's Brigade, Army of Northern Virginia, who was killed during Pickett's Charge at the battle of Gettysburg. They were all born on plantations in Maryland or Virginia.

Family fortunes changed after the Civil War. My father was a carpenter who died when I was seven. Together with my brother, 13 years my senior, I was raised in Baltimore by a single mother, a telephone operator. They were examples of their time - quietly prejudiced. I was raised to be prejudiced.

My early education was in two white private schools. I really didn’t know anyone who was black until I became a freshman at Johns Hopkins University. In ROTC, I met three black freshmen who were all very smart. One, Mike Fauntleroy, graduated from Hopkins in three years. I was lucky to get out in four. I was at Hopkins during the height of the civil rights era. I listened to Reverend King’s speeches and wondered how so much injustice could exist. My great uncle, with whom I lived at the time, called MLK a communist.

On active duty in the Army, including a year in Vietnam, I served with white, black, Asian, and Hispanic men whom I respected. A total of 27 years in the military left me wondering how people could judge others just because of their race. I now live in one of the best neighborhoods in Chattanooga, where there are white, black, mixed race, and LGBTQ families. Only place I’ve ever lived other than a military base with that much diversity.

As a student of military history, I admired the Confederacy because of the military competence of Lee and his generals, and the dedication of their soldiers. But, while I respect their bravery and tactical genius, I do not believe they should be memorialized as heroes. They fought against our country in an attempt to preserve slavery, the immoral system upon which the southern economy was based. Many statues were erected during the Jim Crow era to remind non-white populations to remain in "their place." The only appropriate place for these statues is in a museum where they can be used to tell the history of that era. If the statue of A.P.Stewart showed him in civilian dress and honored him for his contributions to Chattanooga and our nearby military park, I would have no issue with it. That is not its purpose, and I believe it should be relocated.

Thank you for listening.

Betsy Darken:

Main Topics:

Why petition to move? Message of statue: “Whites still have the upper hand”
Positive perceptions of statue: none balance out the immediate perception of a Confederate statue in front of courthouse
Stewart’s positive deeds outweighed by his defense of the Confederacy

Transcript or Detailed Outline:

I ask each of you: Is it possible in these troubled times to move from divisiveness to mutual respect? Is it possible to move from exclusiveness to inclusiveness? Can we become a more harmonious community?

The bust of Confederate General A. P. Stewart is divisive and exclusive.

We are asking you to move this bust to show respect to all of our citizens, to include all of us in what is honored in public spaces.

The bust is offensive to many Americans, especially Black Americans, because it is venerating the Confederacy and the Jim Crow era. It remains a continuing symbol of racism, intended or unintended, in our own times. As one Black American put it, “Psychologically, [a Confederate monument] is perpetuating a system. It’s saying, ‘We still have the upper hand.’”

Our own Bob Corker said, “I would support removing these types of historic symbols that are contentious to our people and putting them in museums, not in places where our ideals are lifted up.”

Some white Americans see these monuments differently: as honoring ancestors in that long-ago war; or as the essence of Southern heritage; or … or as glorifying the Confederacy as a just and noble cause.

Whatever justifications are given, Confederate monuments in public places of honor are divisive. Even though many Confederates, including Stewart, did not own slaves and fought only to protect their lands and families, the Confederacy had at its core an indefensible ideology: white supremacy.

The bust of Stewart was created first and foremost because he was a Confederate general. Yes, he was a fine commissioner for our military park, and we respect him for that. But the United Daughters of the Confederacy would not have funded this bust, nor placed it in front of the courthouse, for his civilian work. Its inscription says nothing of this work. The bust was, and remains, a monument to white supremacy. Please see it through the eyes of a Black American. Please vote to relocate it, commissioners, for the sake of harmony in our community.

Andrew Alms: (unable to speak at meeting)

Main Points:

Diverse cities grow faster and better culturally and therefore economically
Obsolete things are removed all the time
Statutes specifically
The bust is not the biggest issue, but it's a significant one we can easily impact

Transcript or Detailed Outline:

Thank you Commissioners for your time and service! I am a 30 something year old living in the southeast part of our city and county. I attended UTC for graduate school, have owned a successful small business in the area, serve on the Board of a local nonprofit organization, and am currently a consultant with a locally based medical software company. My wife is a nurse in our area, and we attend church on the northeast side of the city.

The fact of the matter is that diverse cities grow faster and deeper. Why? Because diverse cities have cultures that invite belonging. Culture by definition is “a set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterize a company or corporation.” That includes cities. These factors lead to actions, outputs and outcomes - in short, it impacts the lives of ourselves and all of our neighbors.

The impacts we are talking about are not small or insignificant. This culture impacts talent development, retention, and attraction; the attraction of new business and investment; and the way people interact with local business - which, of course, is so important in these times!

We pride ourselves on being a city of innovation and creativity that breeds start ups. A study from Harvard Business School professors on the impact of having diverse partnerships in the venture capital arena shows that, “Diversity significantly improves financial performance ... And even though the desire to associate with similar people … can bring social benefits to those who exhibit it... it can also lead investors and firms to leave a lot of money on the table.” Don’t you want to help foster a culture that does not leave money on the table?

Additionally the President of the Federal Reserve Bank in Atlanta has these words to say, “[Racist] institutions hurt not only the African Americans they've targeted, but the systemic racism they've codified also hurt, and continues to hurt, America and its economy. By limiting economic and educational opportunities for a large number of Americans, institutionalized racism constrains this country's economic potential. The economic contributions of these Americans, in the form of work product and innovation, will be less than they otherwise could have been. Systemic racism is a yoke that drags on the American economy. This country has both a moral and economic imperative to end these unjust and destructive practices. To be fair, we have made some progress. … But the legacies of these institutions remain, and we continue to experience misguided bias and prejudices that stem from these stains on our history.”

You have a chance to help address one of these racist legacies for our community, to make a historic stand, and to ensure longer term economic growth for us.

We can push for diversity to help disband racial injustice, but this is just the tip of the iceberg in what we must achieve - which is belonging. This statue disallows such belonging by holding onto a bygone era of slavery, oppression, prejudice and racism - white supremacy.

Obsolete things are removed all the time in a business setting, like the picture of a past CEO in the board room - especially one that did not stand for the current values of the company.

Statues can be harder to deal with because they represent more than just the physical object. They represent mindsets. But this is exactly why we have to move this bust. Let us move on from a contentious past and instead memorialize people who are heroes that we want to emulate. Let us impact our future by honoring their actions as well as the mindsets and the culture they encourage. Don’t we have some more holistically robust heroes to put in place of this bust? Ones who do not represent an era in our history that we literally shed our blood to move past, an era that in remembering it so viscerally we are disrespectful to our neighbors and block them from finding belonging? I certainly think so, and someone like the WWII veteran Charlie Kyle would be a great candidate!