Letters: Auschwitz memorial is vastly different from single Confederate statue
This is in response to Dave Stang’s Nov. 19 letter about wokeness: There is a difference between a site such as Auschwitz, where hundreds of thousands of humans were killed, being held open as a reminder to the citizens of Germany and the world of what can happen when an autocrat comes to power, and a statue that was erected to honor the legacy of an individual.
The death camps serve as not only a reminder of the cruelty of which men are capable, but also as a memorial to all those lost — mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, husbands, wives and friends. What sort of a memorial does a statue represent? One man who achieved financial success on the backs of others? We should keep plantation sites open as historical markers and Civil War battlefields, too. But statues should be reserved for those who had a hand in founding this country or have moved it forward in some way.
Mike Lawrence, Avondale
Articles are two sides of same coin
In the Times-Union on Nov. 19, there were two articles on the front page. One indicates that the City Council will “take control” on the decisions regarding the Confederate monuments. The other article is on Rethreaded opening its doors to survivors. In some respects, they both have something in common.
First, for those who perceive that all Confederate monuments are reminders of only slavery or bondage of people, the woman displayed in the controversial monument is not representing the evils in our history, when slavery was indeed part of our culture. She represents the home front, where the women held down the responsibilities of taking care of their homes, families and — yes, slaves — while men were away at war.
It portrays how important women were in taking on that huge responsibility under severe conditions. Keeping your family safe, fed, clothed and sheltered was an immense responsibility for anyone, much less a woman. All America suffered during that horrible war and memorials were the most basic way to recognize this time in history; not to glorify war, but to recognize the futility and loss of lives.
As a history buff and a female veteran, I understand how those at home have to deal with war. I realize that our country's leaders have made mistakes during the past 200 years, and will probably make more in the future. We cannot, and should not, forget our past mistakes, but use them to improve our future.
Secondly, the other article is a testament to how we are still dealing and living with slavery, now called human trafficking. Florida is third in the country for human trafficking and this article tells how Rethreaded is helping in a positive way, in present time.
It shows that trying to eliminate past history is denying what still remains as a challenge for our country. It also shows how we are moving forward to right those wrongs. I pray people will look forward, not backwards, to positive future strides that will make us a better nation under God.
Margaret Wright, Jacksonville
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Letters: Auschwitz memorial vastly different from Confederate statue
