Friday, September 22, 2017

On Statues: Believe It or Not, We Do Have Progressive Heroes in Seach of a Statue Near You

Good Day World!

With all the controversy surround statues these days, I have a simple question to ask;

Where are the statues of famous progressive heroes in American history? 

America has been traditionally content to put up statues celebrating wars and the heroes who fought in them. That alone, is a reflection of what we see ourselves as; a militant nation.

If Americans are going to continue putting up statues why not celebrate our progressive heroes too? I'll just give you two quick examples.

You get to ring the bell if you've heard of both of these men.

James Armistead

If Independence Day should be about anything, it should be about celebrating the life of a black slave turned spy, who worked as a crafty double agent, and passed details to George Washington that provided the catalyst for a crucial victory.

In 1781, he joined the army and was put in service under the Marquis de Lafayette, who was desperately trying to fight the chaos caused in Virginia by turncoat soldier Benedict Arnold.

His forces diminished by British Gen. Charles Cornwallis' troops, Lafayette needed reliable information about enemy movements.

Enter James Armistead.

Using the intricate details Armistead provided, Lafayette and a stunned, but relieved George Washington lay siege to the town.

Concentrating both American and French forces, a huge blockade was formed, crippling the British military and resulting in their surrender on Oct. 19, 1781.


Stetson Kennedy

Stetson Kennedy, the writer for Superman recruited the Super Hero to fight the KKK in a novel way.

He infiltrated the KKK and learned about their inner workings. He took this knowledge to a radio station which had a regular Superman serial and sold them on the idea of running it as a special series.

The 16-part series, The Clan of the Fiery Cross, striped away much of the KKK's mystique and left their reputation in tatters.

By 1948 people were just showing up to their meetings and laughing at them.

Kennedy who was both a writer and political activist, coined the term "Frown Power," which encouraged people to frown when they heard bigoted speech in public.

There are hundreds of other examples I could give you, but these two illustrate my point well.

This is the 21st century, and Americans should be more aware of their famous brothers, and sisters, who made this country great without leading men into battle.

That's what teachers should be teaching children today.

Time for me to walk on down the road...


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