You would think that a state like Oregon, as liberal as they come, would have very little in common with Georgia when it comes to the debate over keeping or replacing historic monuments and statues. But historians there, as in the South, are pushing back against the “cancel culture” that threatens to paint over history, even the parts that might feel uncomfortable in 2020.
The Wholistic Peace Institute recently hosted a pair of museum directors, one from Oregon and one from Atlanta, to (virtually) offer their insight as to why history, and historical figures, can not and should not be “cancelled,” and why it is important to preserve our historic monuments and statues.
Kerry Tymchuk, Director of the Oregon Historical Society and 2018 Statesman of the Year, invoked the words of historian Tim McCollough to frame his stance on why it is so important to protect our history; “History is who we are and why we are the way we are.” Tymchuk has seen firsthand the dangers that come from a mentality where people – even ones who have been dead for centuries – can be “cancelled” at a moment’s notice. During the riots in Portland on Columbus Day rioters smashed through his museum’s doors and destroyed statues of Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt, two figures who were notably NOT Confederate generals.
Such violence springs first from ignorance, but second from a mentality that if history is uncomfortable or not politically correct, it should be covered up. “Our goal, our job, our mission – we aren’t the chamber of commerce or the tourism bureau, we’re the historical society. And our job is to tell the history of Oregon,” said Tymchuk.
A familiar face, Rodney Cook – head of the National Monuments Foundation in Atlanta – was the second expert on the panel. “Society is a fragile thing,” he told viewers, “I think we lost a couple of generations just because we haven’t been teaching what these works of art mean.” Here in Georgia big names, such as former gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, have stated publicly their desire to get rid of Confederate monuments such as the Confederate Memorial Carving at Stone Mountain. Other monuments and statues have been defaced, much like the ones in Portland. “Tearing things down makes us no better than the Taliban,” Cook said pointedly.
“You need to have rules, and follow the rules as to changing these things,” continued Cook. “We prefer to keep everything intact, and put up something equally beautiful to tell the full story.”
Cook offers an alternative to ridding ourselves of history – to engross ourselves in it even more, and to provide context for the statues and monuments across the state, even ones with connections to segregation or slavery. His Rodney Cook Sr. Park, (named for his father) in Atlanta is the perfect example. A “peace park,” when complete it will contain 300 years of Georgia peaceful tradition including memorials to important men such as Martin Luther King, Jimmy Carter, and John Lewis, as well as lesser known figures such as Chief Tomochichi, who made peace with British settlers in the settlement’s early days. Cook says we must not erase the past but expand upon it, learning its context and importance even when it is uncomfortable.
Tymchuk offered a hopeful closing statement, “As long as we are talking about history, and talking honestly about it, I think that’s a good thing.”
