Human Interest

It is interesting to see the cultural and political implications of the removal of monuments to the Confederacy.  It is also interesting to see how ethnicity and race come into play on this issue.  On the one hand, the mostly black population of New Orleans sees these monuments as celebrating an institution of abuse, exploitation, and white supremacy that likely impacted a majority of their ancestors.  These people voted overwhelmingly for politicians who promised to remove these symbols of the movement that aimed to preserve that institution.  On the other hand, there are people in the community that view the removal of these monuments as the erasure of the city's history.  It is a sensitive topic for many, but it is important that we remember the past with out celebrating negative parts of it.