In the midst of a hotly-contested debate in Henry County, a local high-school graduate is making his voice heard and urging others to do the same.
Luke Walker, 17, of McDonough recently put together a petition in favor of removing a statue of a Confederate soldier on the downtown Square.
“I am aware that there is another petition that has many more signatures for the removal of the statue,” said Walker, a 2020 graduate of Ola High School. “But the main purpose of my petition was to spread knowledge on the historical context of the statue. I believe doing that will help to quell the outrage from the side that wants to keep the statue up, because when one has the full knowledge of the history behind the statue, it’s undeniable that the statue should come down.”
Walker will enter Mercer University in the fall, majoring in psychology. He said he takes issue with those who first brought the statue to Henry County, and the time period behind when the statue was erected.
“The organization that got the statue created was the United Daughters of the Confederacy,” said Walker. “This organization was one of the big proponents of the Lost Cause Ideology, which attempted to legitimize segregation and racial injustice of the Civil War. They also worked closely with the KKK and praised them in their publications.”
Walker said the death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer in Minneapolis, Minn., resulted in a “whirlwind of realization” regarding racial injustices, both locally and nationwide. He said he decided to write his petition after learning that individuals opposing the statue’s removal released a petition of their own.
“I really just want to spread more understanding and knowledge in the hopes that it will bring compassion for one another instead of dividing us further,” said Walker. “Since the McDonough protests, I knew the statue had to come down because it represented an era that we have to move past.”
Walker said he believes those who oppose the statue’s removal have “an honest misunderstanding of the reason why others wanted it gone.”
“I felt that the only way to help deal with that outrage was to help them understand the pain that it causes,” he said.
The Henry County Board of Commissioners voted July 7 in favor of removing the statue, though debate continues regarding its fate. Walker issued his petition in the wake of the vote, stating that removing the statue is a concept grounded in “compassion.”
“There is no good reason to leave this statue on the Square other than to continue its intended purpose, to make a feeling of divide and unease in minority communities therefore it must go,” the petition states.
Walker, in his petition, criticizes the United Daughters of the Confederacy for creating the statue. He writes that the statue is “a remnant of their efforts to normalize white supremacy and deify the Confederate soldiers.”
“This organization historically built statue after statue and vetted countless textbooks in order to peddle their lost cause and Neo-Confederate ideology and the idea that the south was justified in its fight for slavery,” the petition states. “Knowing the history behind its creation and what it represents, is it hard to believe that minority citizens of Henry County would feel unwelcome because of it? Why should we leave this monument to racism in the public square where it looms over our black and brown neighbors like a sign that says they don’t belong here? Why should we leave this statue in a place where it continues to spark pain and outrage?” Walker’s petition had secured 182 signatures as of Tuesday. He acknowledged that the endeavor is just getting off the ground but said he is hopeful additional outreach will result in more signatures going forward. To view the petition, visit www.change.org/p/citizens-of-henry-county-maintain-the-removal-of-the-confederate-statue-in-mcdonough
This young man has no idea what he is talking about. He has not read the history of that statue or he would know it is for the Confederate dead that was never brought home to be buried. Read history young man and do research,
The UDC has never been associated with the kkk. You don’t known your butt from a hole in the ground.
I have in fact read the history of the statue and the organization. I address all of your comments in my petition actually so if you’d like a more in depth explanation please read it there. This article really only skims the surface of why I think it needs to be taken down.
His is an extremely uneducated view of the south, the confederacy, and the reason for erecting monuments in the first place. The United Daughters of the Confederacy groups wanted to honor people who died fighting against northern destruction of the south. Men (and women) in the south died protecting their property, their loved ones, and their friends and neighbors from a horrific and intense assault from northern armies. Northern soldiers attacked, destroyed, burned farms, universities, hospitals, homes, and towns in the south; slaughtered farm animals; raped women and children in these homes and farms; murdered old and young. Southern soldiers fought to stop this! No one was defending slavery; it’s completely ludicrous and stupid to believe such nonsense. The north didn’t need to destroy, rape, and kill everything in the south to free slaves if that was their motive. These monuments of southern soldiers are to recognize the bravery of southern men, nothing more. Pretending they represent slavery is particularly ignorant. Statue removal has everything to do with political theater and nothing to do with anything noble and decent. If you believe that removing these monuments is a noble and caring thing, you’re poorly educated and being led by malevolent agents trying to destroy our country.
How is it that a statue that causes so much pain and outrage has so many POC around it everyday laughing, talking, and enjoying coffee/icecream or a good conversation? Why is it that all of a sudden it causes pain when for so many years it was a spot of rejoicing and having fun? I dont get it.
It is a symbol of a time which we are to be past. If you ask a POC how they feel about the statue, it is largely negative. It was only recently in the wake of blatant civil injustices that people felt empowered enough to speak their minds on these issues that had always been there. It’s always caused unease and pain but communities of color have been so long silent since they felt powerless. It is only now that they feel they can speak up.
Thank you Luke for standing up for what’s right! You are indeed a brave young man, and I appreciate you!!
Put it on the ballot for November. Let the people decide!
Yes, it should be on the ballot!! Citizens of Henry County have a right to be heard! Dee Clemmons (and anyone supporting her comments, actions, and behavior) need to be immediately removed from office. She has done nothing but cause division in Henry County. RACISM WORKS BOTH WAYS!
My grandmother took me to see the statue in the park when I was very young. She said that it was a tombstone, for all the men who died and were buried in unmarked graves far from their homes. One of those men was her father. That was one of the main reasons why the United Daughters of the Confederacy worked so hard to accumulate the money needed for the statue. It was paid for by the widows and orphans left behind. It is not the property of the government.
A very, very sad day in our community. Marsha, you’re Grandmother was exactly right in her explanation of this and all of these Monuments. The commissioners that knocked down this tombstone are no better than punks pushing over headstones in a cemetery. It’s not over, it may well be right back where it was very soon. Oh yea, RINO June, we’ll see you in November.