I have not written here for awhile, but have some thoughts this morning that I want to share. On Saturday my wife Linda & I were in Easton MD to record some interviews with people who were involved in the process of getting a monument called the Talbot Boys moved from the lawn of their county courthouse where it had been for a little over 100 years. The statue depicts a teenager holding a furled CSA battle flag.
Most of the people we talked with were part of an organization called “Move the Monument” which came together in the days after a march and rally that occurred when George Floyd was killed. There had been efforts by locals to move this monument in the past, but the county council never had the votes to do it.
These individuals became a unified voice that could not be ignored…even in the face of much resistance. It became the most debated issue with more people participating than anything the County Council had dealt with in years.
We are documenting what occurred in Easton. How the monument came to be there in the first place. What happened over the years. How it was perceived and how things changed to the point that there is now a monument to native son Frederick Douglass in front of the Court House now and the Talbot Boys sit on a battlefield in Virginia.
Saturday was an illuminating and satisfying day and we look forward to telling this story. Watch for more as events proceed.