A service of Salisbury University and University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Confederate Plaque Sparks Controversy in Salisbury

Confederate General John Henry Winder
Historical Photo
Confederate General John Henry Winder

There is an online petition being circulated opposing the removal of a historical marker for Confederate General John Henry Winder in downtown Salisbury.

It’s sponsored by Jonathan Taylor a local conservative blogger in response to a Salisbury civil rights organization Showing Up for Racial Justice that has called for its removal.

Taylor told the Salisbury Daily Times that calls for removal was just another example of political correctness adding it was important not to let “this movement take away our history.”

The paper reports that as of Thursday there were 397 signatures in favor of keeping the marker and 193 for removing it.

General Winder, a native of Nanticoke, has been held responsible for the deplorable conditions at the Confederate prisons where he served.

Mayor Jake Day has signed the petition to remove the marker calling it inappropriate and suggest it might be moved to Nanticoke.

Richmond Confederate Monuments

Jefferson Davis Monument in Richmond
Credit creative commons
/
creative commons
Jefferson Davis Monument in Richmond

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - The mayor of Richmond, Virginia, says the city's towering Confederate monuments should not be taken down, but instead should be supplemented with historical context about why they were built.

Mayor Levar Stoney announced Thursday that a commission of historians, authors and community leaders will solicit public input and make suggestions for telling "the real story" of the monuments. He says they represent "a false narrative" meant to lionize the architects and defenders of slavery.

The mayor says the commission also will consider adding new monuments.

His announcement comes as many other cities across the South engage in bitter debates over symbols of the Confederacy.

Richmond served as the capital of the Confederacy and has one of the most dramatic displays of such statuary.

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.