To keep a statute or remove a statute

BY: BRITTNEY CHANNER 

Happy New Year Everyone!

First off, let me say welcome back to all the dedicated readers who kept up with all of the latest entries regarding my column. With that being said, I would also like to welcome, new readers, who are in search of information, insightful discussion or general knowledge about how they can educate themselves or partake in their own form of social justice.

Within the past year or so, we have seen different forms of social justice unfold in front of our very eyes. Whether it be through online spaces which have contributed to an increase in social activism or through public protests, which have been the result of a number of prevailing social justice matters; what we do know is that within the 21^st century, many people are now speaking up against matters that do not promote equality, fairness, and positivity.

In addition, on top of speaking out against unjust issues that arise, there has been a recent trend of the removal of historical statues of persons or symbols that represent any form of racist/discriminatory past. It has also been argued that statues of this nature are deemed to be offensive as they are not in line with the current belief system of modern day society.

A great example of this can be seen in the United States, specifically Virginia, Baltimore, and St Louis wherein the wake of the Charleston church shooting in the month of June 2015, spawned for the removal of memorials on public property that commemorated the Confederate States of America. The recent uproar for the removal of these statues stems from the belief that they glorify white supremacy and memorialize a government whose main principle was the expansion and maintenance of slavery.

Those who are against the removal of these statutes stated that they were in place to honor the historical significance and the contribution that it adds to American history. However, detractors of this argument state that these memorials were not built to honor but as a means of intimidating African Americans and endorsing white supremacy. On the other hand, those who do not agree with the removal of these memorials state that keeping them will educate the public on the ugly truth of America’s history and can essentially provide insightful discussion on how to avoid similar situations such as those of the past.

The debate surrounding this issue has brought forth quite a bit of controversy and has left a nation divided with sensitive racial tensions unexplored. A closer to home example of this issue occurred in Victoria, British Columbia last August as a number of people called for the removal of a John A. Macdonald statue within the city’s core. For those who are unaware, Mr. Macdonald was the first Prime Minister of Canada and under his leadership, Canada was extended from sea to sea giving the nation its geographical coherence.

However, what many Canadians fail to realize is that John A. Macdonald was the architect of the Indian Residential School System. The residential school system’s primary objective was to remove and isolate children of Indigenous decent from the influence of their traditions and family and assimilate them into dominant European culture.

Supporters of the removal of his statue in Victoria state that the image of him being allowed to stand in the heart of the city without being challenged, especially as it is directly outside of a government building, sends a disrespectful message to First Nation people and doesn’t align with Canada’s current multicultural society of inclusion and acceptance.

As the trend to remove more statutes across North America continue to arise, I do believe it is important to have valid discussions surrounding the criticisms of these statues. As shown in Victoria with the development of the Victoria Reconciliation Dialogues, which allow residents to provide feedback on the best way to recognize and acknowledge history through appropriate lenses; creating a safe and wider space for proper dialogue can help aid in preserving historical significance while ensuring proper and appropriate context of that history is maintained.

What are your thoughts? Should the city of Victoria remove the Statute of John A. Macdonald?