Statement on Legal Challenge to Talbot’s Confederate Monument
On May 4, 2021, the MD Office of the Public Defender, the Talbot County National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), attorney Kisha Petticolas, and community activist Richard M. Potter joined with the American Civil Liberties Union of MD and the Washington, D.C. law firm Crowell & Moring LLP to file suit asserting Talbot County’s placement and retention of a Confederate monument on the grounds of the county courthouse in Easton - the last on public land in Maryland - is both racist and illegal. The challenge was filed in the federal district court in Baltimore.
The Talbot County Democratic Central Committee (Talbot Democratic Party) commends the latest action and stands proudly with the plaintiffs listed in the litigation. We have been taught that our shared heritage & history is one of sanctuary, security, invitation, and peace. While we are proud of our Eastern Shore melting pot; proud of the heritage and tradition of the waterman, the hunters, the farmers, and so many others who have passed their craft from one generation to the next, it is past time for a thoughtful introspection and an honest conversation on the darker side of Talbot County’s history: the racial issues that have also passed inexplicably from one generation to the next.
“Despite sustained efforts to reach out to our local elected officials, three intransigent members of our County Council have repeatedly refused all invitations to discuss this issue with the NAACP and local community faith leaders. Simply put, the community has run out of tools in the toolbox to convince our elected officials to meet with and listen to their constituents,“ said Patrick Firth, Chair of the Talbot County Democratic Party. “As equity, justice, and opportunity for all are the guiding principles of the Talbot County Democratic Party, we remain steadfast in our support of the growing chorus of Talbot County citizens and organizations demanding the removal of the ‘Talbot Boys’ Confederate statue from the people’s Courthouse grounds.“
It is past time for this County to accept that the cause for which the Confederacy fought - the enslavement of human beings - was wrong. Further, given the overwhelming number of Talbot residents that fought for the Union rather than the Confederacy, the continued prominent placement of this monument is a distortion of history, rather than an accurate depiction of Talbot’s role in the American Civil War.
Frederick Douglass, Talbot’s greatest son, who’s statue on our Courthouse grounds should stand taller than any other, said, “Slavery is indeed gone, but its shadow still lingers over the country and poisons more or less the moral atmosphere of all sections of the republic.”
Talbot County is not and never has been immune to this continued disease of racism and bigotry. While the Confederate monument is a symbol of sustained and institutionalized racism, it is just that: a symbol. We still have a lot of work to do and the Talbot County Democratic Party is committed to supporting equal justice and opportunity for all, regardless of race, sex, religion, orientation, or creed. We hope you will join us.
###