“Do you support the removal of Confederate statues? Why or why not?”
Seth Olson
Senior – Accounting Major
“No, I think they should stay. Because it’s a part of history and they were human beings who fought for what they believed in. You cannot judge someone from a different time era because beliefs change.”
Deja Bell
Senior – Communications Major
“Yes. Because they’re racist and offensive, and how would you feel if there was a statue erected of someone that kidnapped and enslaved your children? Most of the statues were erected when there were spikes of civil rights issues/movements.”
Darian Jackson
Freshman – Sports Management Major
“If it helps us get better as a society, then yes. If it helps people become more comfortable in an area that they live in, then yes. It’s history, but it’s bad history.”
Dylan Newell
Sophomore – Business Major
“… It’s tearing down history. If you want to petition somebody to remove the statue, or if you own it and decide to take it down that’s alright, but they shouldn’t be torn down. I’m not saying anymore should be erected, but if you are passing the statue with your kids or whatever it’s a great reminder about how far America has come and how beautiful it is now.”
Sebastian Hitzelburger
Junior – Communications Major
“The way I see it, a lot of people would compare it to Germany. Germany has no Nazi statues because it is a racist history. So why do we have to keep up the statues that stand for racism, slavery and the systemic oppression of an entire group of people. I think they need to get rid of all of them.”
Henry Muhlena
Sophomore – Justice Administration Major
“I do support their removal. Most of them were erected in the mid 1900s. That coincides with beginnings of the Civil Rights Movement and the reasoning behind them was to oppress black people and remind them of slavery. There is no historical argument for preserving them when they are fairly modern, and the purpose behind them is inherently racist.”
Feel Free to leave your dam opinion in the comments below.