Statement on Silent Sam
The following letter is a statement from the undersigned members of Faculty Executive Committee, not a formal resolution adopted by committee.
Vin Steponaitis, Secretary of the Faculty
——————————
August 28, 2018
The undersigned members of the Faculty Executive Committee support the statement of department chairs in the College of Arts and Sciences adopted on August 27, 2018, that reads as follows:
“We … strongly oppose the return of the Confederate memorial known as Silent Sam to its original location in McCorkle Place.
“Returning the statue to any prominent location would reaffirm the values of white supremacy that motivated its original installation. Moreover, to do so would undermine the moral and physical security of all members of our community.
“The values that the statue represents are inherently opposed to the principles of light and liberty that guide the educational mission of UNC Chapel Hill.”
Deb Aikat (Media & Journalism)
Barbara Entwisle (Sociology)
Nancy Fisher (Microbiology & Immunology)
Benny Joyner (Pediatrics)
Jennifer Larson (English & Comparative Literature)
Cary Levine (Art & Art History)
Beth Mayer-Davis (Nutrition)
Eric Muller (Law)
Leslie Parise (Biochemistry & Biophysics)