Source: Marianne Todd / Getty
A statue at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, known as Silent Sam was found vandalized Sunday morning with the words “black lives matter. According to the official school website the statue was created in 1913 as a monument to honor 321 alumni who died in the Civil War and students who joined the Confederate Army.
At this time no suspects or arrests have been made. The vandals used black spray paint to tag the civil war statue, which also had the words “KKK” and “murderer” written on it.
A statement was released Sunday by Rick White, UNC-CH associate vice chancellor of Communications and Public Affairs which said:
“We understand that the issue of race and place is both emotional and, for many, painful. Carolina is working hard to ensure we have a thoughtful, respectful and inclusive dialogue on the issue,” he said. “The extensive discussions with the Carolina community this past year by the Board of Trustees and University leadership, and the work we will be doing to contextualize the history of our campus is a big part of advancing those conversations. We welcome all points of view, but damaging or defacing statues is not the way to go about it.”
The graffiti did spark a debate among some in the campus community about whether the statue is appropriate or not and if it has a place on campus.
Student Ishmael Bishop said “I agree black lives do matter. I am excited that there are students or community members who feel the same way I do, that Confederate monuments on our campus (are) offensive.”
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