Following the massacre of nine African Americans in a church in Charleston, South Carolina on June 17, 2015 by white supremacist Dylann Roof, Americans, especially southerners, have reflected on and argued over the historical legacy of slavery, the Civil War, the Confederacy, and white supremacy. Monuments have been a particular focus of these debates and controversies, especially after the death of a counter-protester, Heather Heyer, at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in August 2017 and after President Donald Trump expressed his opposition to the removal of Confederate memorials. Despite laws in many southern states intended to prevent or impede the removal or relocation of historical monuments, protesters and local community leaders have removed or relocated controversial monuments associated with slavery, the Confederacy, and white supremacy. The pace of the removal of controversial monuments accelerated sharply in 2020, following the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Against the backdrop of protests against police brutality and white supremacy across the nation, local authorities in many communities in North Carolina removed and/or relocated monuments that were the focus of civil unrest.
On July 27, 2020, by a 3-2 vote the Sylva Town Commission requested that Jackson County remove and possibly relocate the statue known as “Sylva Sam.” On August 4, 2020, Jackson County Commissioners rejected that request by a 4 to 1 vote. In a compromise the commissioners did agree to modify the monument. Changes would include the Confederate flag etched into the base being covered with a plaque giving a brief history of Jackson County’s role in the Civil War. The words “Our Heroes of the Confederacy,” which appear below the flag, would be removed. The compromise did not settle the issue as members of Reconcile Sylva vowed to continue efforts to have it removed. Supporters of keeping the memorial in place also acknowledged they expect efforts to have it removed would continue.
