Remembering
Reconstruction
at Carolina
Notes from lunchtime discussion at "Remembering Reconstruction" conference
Facilitator: Yonni Chapman
We had a very lively discussion. There was a great deal of enthusiasm
for making the commemorative landscape both honest (e.g. Saunders
was a KKK leader) and inclusive (honoring African Americans, women,
and others who have been excluded in the past)
Although I was unable to get the names of everyone who made suggestions,
I will try to include what I did get.
Sandy Darity emphasized the importance of institutionalizing historical
attention to those who have been excluded. He mentioned his class
on the economic and social history of African Americans at UNC
and suggested that something like this could be made a permanent
course for incoming students.
Madeline Levine also discussed the possibility of developing an
interdisciplinary first year seminar on the university's history.
Adrienne Davis described the negative impact of a hostile built
environment on African Americans, women, and others. She emphasized
the need for what she called "counter commemoration."
Along these lines, there were a number of suggestions. Several
people discussed the possibility of commissioning murals to celebrate
the struggles and contributions of women, workers, African Americans,
and others. There was discussion about the fact that the women
who have received the Bell Award are not celebrated publicly. Mary
Turner Lane noted that their photographs were to have been put
up in South Building, but that nothing along these lines has been
done. Although Madeline Levine questioned whether awards for women
were appropriate at all, others expressed strong feelings that
women are not sufficiently honored.
There seemed to be a good deal of agreement that workers and African
Americans were other groups that have not been sufficiently honored.
One creative suggestion envisioned the renovation of Gerrard Hall
adjusted to honor the slaves and other workers who built it. The
idea was that a simple plaque would not be noticed. Instead, why
not leave part of the inside wall unfinished, showing the brick
work, lathe, plaster, etc. This would draw attention to a plaque
that explained who built the building and how, honoring these contributions.
The need for a culturally sensitive commission to oversee public
commemoration was also suggested. It was noted that such oversight
might have avoided the fiasco of the statues placed in front of
Davis Library a decade ago. This class gift was supposed to represent
the diversity of Carolina, but the statues were so stereotyped
(e.g. a black man in shorts spinning a basketball on his finger,
a white man carrying a huge stack of books) that they became a
center of controversy. Eventually, the most offensive statues were
removed and the whole ensemble was shifted to a less public location.
We did not get to discussion of the Bell Award until time was
almost up. However, there were some points of unity as well as
sharp differences. My sense was that most people were agreed that
Spencer should continue to be acknowledged as an important university
figure. Some thought the Bell Award should be retired, others were
strongly opposed. One suggestion that would retire the Bell Award
but would increase attention to Spencer's history and the contributions
of women was the idea of having a yearly Cornelia Phillips Spencer
Day. Spencie Love suggested the alternative of transforming the
Bell Award, possibly by adding more honest content to remarks made
at the ceremony. Probably most agreed that any commemoration of
Spencer would have to be completely honest, and this was a sentiment
that extended to all of the university's history. Most did not
feel that an award for women should be the only award to come under
criticism, since there were many men honored at the university
whose history was reprehensible. Josephus Daniels and RDW Connor
were mentioned as candidates for critique.
Apologies to all for any errors in this report.
Yonni Chapman
Online Papers for Past Conferences
Rembering Reconstruction at Carolina:
A Community Conversation
Took place October 1 and 2, 2004
Click
here to read the conference papers online.
 • What
was Carolina’s role in the world of the Old South?
• What happened to Carolina in the Civil War?
• Did some North Carolinians try to create a freer society in the aftermath
of slavery? Who opposed them? How did UNC fit into their efforts?
• Who was Cornelia Phillips Spencer and what did she do for the University
and the state?
Conference
on Mill Closings and Downsizing
Click here to read the conference papers.
How do
communities adjust to the closing of textile plants and the reduced
number of jobs resulting from policies of downsizing and outsourcing?
Using Spindale and Kanapolis, North Carolina, as case studies,
the Center and UNC's Economics Department explored these questions
at a conference that was held April 8-9, 2004. Other conference
sponsors include Dr. Kathy Brittain White, the Southern
Growth Policies Board, and the Alfred
P. Sloan Foundation.
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