It’s been 150 years since the Ordinance of Secession for South Carolina was signed. In honor of the members who signed the ordinance, the Sons of Confederate Veterans offered to place a monument at the Riverfront Park in North Charleston temporarily.
North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey has declined to put the monument at the park. “I have worked for 15 years as the mayor to show a sense of fairness within our community and work with everybody in our community and I think we have come a long way in that direction. To have an issue that would bring it solely about racial lines is an issue I don’t think is worthy of happening for us as a community,” says Summey.
Because of this, Summey says he supports installing the monument at the Hunley museum in North Charleston, just not at a public park.
“I think the issue with me was not the racial issue at all. The issue was about history, just like the Hunley was about history. I’m one of those firm believers that history is something we need to acknowledge, good and bad. I think the Civil War was horrible, that we had brothers against brothers fighting against each other, just horrible, but we need to remember that because if you don’t, you likely repeat things,” says Summey.
Summey says he has proposed the idea to put the monument at the Hunley Museum when it opens. However, Senator Glenn McConnell says that could bring up another issue. The Hunley is on state property.
(Mayor Summey’s comment, MP3 2:02)
MayorSummeyInterview
