“Stand tall for South Carolina. Stand tall for our Palmetto State.” My grandmother (Nelle McMaster Sprott) wrote those words and the music to this song almost 70 years ago right here in Fairfield County. I grew up singing about and loving our state because of my grandmother’s deep devotion to this place we call home. I know that many of you grew up singing her songs as elementary students and you, too, became proud citizens of this state.
I am writing this letter today, however, to say that it is time to continue to “stand tall.” It is time to take down the confederate monument located at Mt. Zion on Hudson Street for which the Fairfield County NAACP is advocating. To say that now is the time is sadly a bit late. It was time generations ago to take it down. Nay, it never should have been up in the first place.
To say that this monument represents your heritage is missing the point. Or maybe it isn’t? Is your heritage to a past that openly and overtly denigrates and discriminates people according to their skin color your heritage? Are you proud of the lasting legacy of racism, of sin, in Fairfield County?
But the point is this, this statue is a symbol that Fairfield County actively participates in white supremacy. And to my eyes, this is not “Standing tall for South Carolina.”
The Rev. Marion Sprott-Goldson
Charlotte, NC