Letter to the editor
By Jerry Bernstein | August 26, 2017Can you imagine, years from now, another group of ideologues carry the Stars and Stripes while doing their evil, that people would rise up and call for the removal of our flag?
Can you imagine, years from now, another group of ideologues carry the Stars and Stripes while doing their evil, that people would rise up and call for the removal of our flag?
It is this support, the strength derived from community, that I consider most beneficial to those facing pressure to conform.
Last Saturday morning, the Duke community awoke to find out about President Price’s decision to remove General Robert E.
By hiding our history you have joined a much larger and much more frightening movement than one that merely wants to remove so-called offensive objects.
But in trying to stifle national conversations, Jackson has affirmed the permeability of our stories and the potency of our voices. We can take action by doing the very thing she fears: speaking out.
In the past week, the news cycle has been jam-packed with a stream of controversial proclamations courtesy of President Trump’s Twitter account and heated debates over hot button topics.
I would simply ask that those arguing against removing Lee's statue use the critical thinking skills that Duke instills in its students to make an argument that has some semblance of logical basis.
Lee was an honorable American just as much as Union generals.
Dear President Price, Thank you for making the effort to reach out to the broader Duke community.
The new President of Duke University sent out an email notifying the greater Duke community of his decision to remove the vandalized statue of Robert E.
Late though it may be, the removal of this statue and the conversation that will follow is good news.
Surely the time has come to change the name of the university back to Trinity and remove all the statues of the Dukes.
Yes, history is nuanced. But being an influential historical figure does not automatically grant you a position of honor. There’s plenty of room for “remembering” in museums and textbooks that offer context, not glorification.
While I agree completely that the statue of Lee—and really all monuments honoring slavery and those who fought for it—should be removed, if we as a community choose to remove Lee, we must not stop there.
General Lee, it is said, should be removed from the Duke Chapel. I believe this movement is misguided and should stop.
In light of calls for the removal of the statue of Robert E Lee from Duke Chapel and the vandalism that occurred on the 16th, I’ve compiled a list of alternatives to the “___ of the South” statue series that adorns the chapel entrance.
It's unfortunate that your first public test as president of our University relates to the disposition of a seemingly silent stone artifact that is part of the magnificent cathedral that sits at the heart of our campus. But the statue of Robert E. Lee is not silent.
Charlottesville is a watershed moment for our country. It calls on all Americans, particularly white Americans like myself, to take a long, hard look at the beliefs we hold and the institutions we cherish.
We are currently witnessing a horrifying attempt by this administration to defend the motives and actions of racist and violent neo-Confederates bent on asserting their demands for an ethno-state, and somehow there remains a nationwide divide.
Earlier last month, the Chronicle reported on the high instance of on-campus drinking at Duke. Perhaps it is unsurprising that Duke students have reported such high rates of alcohol and drug use when compared to the national average.