I humbly suggest that if we want to honor someone with a statue, it should be someone who brings people together, who helps us understand the inter-connectedness of all people. As a nation, we stand at a crossroads. We need to elect leaders who will address systemic problems in our society, such as racism and financial inequality. One who appeals to our better angels.
Consider the country of Botswana, which became independent in 1967. Its flag design is a blue field with one white and two black stripes in the middle. The blue represents rain, which is so important in a desert country; the white and black stripes represent the white and black races living together in harmony. What a powerful symbol to see each day.
I can only imagine where race relations would be in the United States today if, at the end of the Civil War, the Southern states had put away their Confederate battle flags and raised the red, white and blue.
Millie Spezialy
Anchorage
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