Monday evening saw nearly 250 protesters at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill marching and collectively chanting, “Hey hey, ho ho, these racist statues got to go!”
Shortly after 9:15 p.m., the Confederate statue “Silent Sam” had been toppled using ropes after years-worth of demands calling for the statue’s removal.
While university officials called the protesters’ actions “unlawful and dangerous” – sparking backlash – some UNC students, faculty and other community members were elated about the statue’s removal.
“I knew [Silent Sam] was coming down eventually, but once he was down, everyone was just so joyful. I was thrilled to be there,” said Dr. Altha J. Cravey, associate professor of geography at UNC and a longtime proponent for Silent Sam’s removal. “It was like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I think it’s going to change the whole atmosphere on campus.”
Cravey added that until this week, state politicians and some leaders on campus “wouldn’t budge” about removing the Confederate statue.
“Even on our campus, they refused to petition the body that’s supposed to review these monuments,” she said. “They refused to speak out.”
Reporting from the scene, UNC’s student newspaper The Daily Tarheel captured videos of the earlier demonstration and the culminating protest that led to the statue’s tumbling.
