Interim solution on monuments

What to do about those archaic Confederate monuments and memorials? Some say they’re part of our history, others that history does not make apologies and excuses for racism.

Many Kentuckians called for relocation of the Jefferson Davis statue in our Capitol rotunda last year, and there was considerable discussion in Lexington last summer about the statue of John Hunt Morgan. The issue seemed to die soon after that.

Then in April, the University of Louisville decided to relocate the immense monument on South Third Street, a surprise to many of us.

We had assumed public objections would be loud and vigorous. Not so.

Still, it seems highly unlikely that many other such monuments will be moved in the near future. But if more of the monuments cannot be relocated, maybe we can work for the installation of interpretative signs something like: “With 21st-century eyes, we see this 19th-century monument as a reminder of our nation’s long struggle for the freedom of all people.”

This story was originally published June 3, 2016 at 6:03 PM with the headline "Interim solution on monuments."