They are part of the city landscape that we almost never pay attention to. Bronze figures on horseback; austere men gazing over the horizon of history; monuments in parks and on thoroughfares that reflect the particular prism through which certain generations viewed the American story. Here in Baltimore, a commission established by Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blakeis considering what, if anything, should be done with four monuments that celebrate Confederate history.
Later this month, the commission will be holding a public hearing about the fate of these monuments, and this morning, Tom is joined by Aaron Bryant, a social and political historian who studies political history and visual culture. He is the chair of the commission. Dr. Kaye Wise Whitehead is here as well. She’s a scholar of African American history who serves on the faculty of Loyola University of Maryland. Her latest book is called Letters to My Black Sons.
A public forum to discuss the confederate monuments will be held a week from Tuesday, December 15th, from 5:00-8:00 p.m. at Baltimore City Hall.
This Saturday, Dec. 5 at 10 a.m., Baltimore Heritage is offering a freewalking tour and discussion of several of the monuments that the commission is considering.
