Dear [Mayor White/Council members],

Our town is considered by many to be a place of love. It is called home by many--people of different races, who practice different religions, who know love is love. We are a small town, but a town that takes care of each other, and who do not tolerate hate. But for years, a symbol of hate and racial injustice has stood in Lewisburg. A Confederate statue sits next to the former public library. It’s original erection was funded by the United Daughters of the Confederacy, a group with known ties to the Ku Klux Klan. 

As a community, we will not stand for the continued presence of this statue. It represents the past and present suffering and subjugation of our black, brown, and indigenous people. It is a symbol of Lost Cause ideology, that only serves to intimidate these community members while holding a physical space dedicated to white supremacy. 

Lewisburg makes a great effort to celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights movement  on MLK day each January, through peaceful marches and community education on racial inequality. Lewisburg’s values as a community are those presented through these actions, and inform a statement of the community’s intent that we must now follow with impact.

Removing the statue is a statement to the community. It says that we will not hold space for hate and racial inequality. It says that we will contend with our country’s past, and work to dismantle unjust systems, so that we can build a better future. As West Virginians, it is our duty to place ourselves on the right side of history. We respectfully demand that you take down the statue, and let us breathe easier as we fight for justice. 

Thank you, 

The undersigned