Like many communities in the South, Lexington is embarking on a reexamination of its Civil War monuments and the contexts in which they’re displayed.
While no formal discussions have been launched on moving or removing Lexington’s Confederate monuments, community members are starting a dialogue on the subject with a forum Tuesday. Moderator Bianca Spriggs says the panel will first offer some background on the city’s historic statutes and symbols.
"We're trying to begin from a place of information and passing on knowledge as opposed to any sort of inflammatory conversations," she says.
Spriggs says the forum, which will open with remarks from Mayor Jim Gray, is meant to foster a deeper understanding of the symbols and what message they send to all members of the community.
"We all have to live in this city together whether we agree or disagree, and the idea here is how can we make it the best city possible for the people who live here and have to walk by certain monuments day after day and who also pay taxes and are contributing members to this community," she says. "We're doing this in the spirit of being good neighbors."
The free forum starts at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning.
WUKY is a co-sponsor of the event.
