In the Summer of 2017, when Montgomery County, MD, officials decided to move what we will call “The Thin Gray Line statue” from the grounds of the Red Brick Courthouse in Rockville to White’s Ferry, they only got it half right. White’s Ferry operates as a very busy transportation artery across the Potomac River into Montgomery County. As one of only two river crossings into Montgomery County on its 35-mile shoreline, this entry point is vital to our commerce and social life in the County and the State of Maryland. White’s Ferry is a busy site providing valuable transportation services to the region, carrying an estimated 600 cars per day translating to an estimate of well over 200,000 cars per year.

The Thin Gray Line statue now stands prominently at the bank of the Potomac River, just to the right, as you exit the ferry to enter Maryland. This long-dead cavalryman (who is not a specific person but, rather, a generic cast like most confederate statues), represents abhorrent ideals that should have died with the Confederacy. Yet, he greets those entering our state with the phrase, “That We Through Life May Not Forget to Love the Thin Gray Line.” The Thin Gray Line refers to the cause of the Confederacy – slavery. Shortly past the statue, someone entering Maryland encounters a sign proclaiming, “Welcome to Montgomery County!” Is this who we are? “Welcome to Montgomery County, where we shall never Forget to Love the Thin Gray Line.” Is this the message Montgomery County wants to send? Apparently so, since the placement of the statue was deliberate.

Black trauma resulting from 400 plus years of White supremacy and systemic racism is real. It happens every day in every public place. Such monuments normalize racism and contribute to an ongoing crushing of the spirit of Black citizens, neighbors, and friends. Those who argue the need to “preserve history” need to consider that you find no statues of Hitler, his SS officials, or Nazi soldiers in town squares or municipality entry points in Germany – yet we remember that history very well. Those who argue the need to “preserve history” simply do not want to do the work of confronting the ways that we institutionalize racism into the very fabric of our society. We need to rip that fabric open and reweave it. Rather than preserve, we can dialogue about the harmful history related to the statute that continues to contribute to this current racist moment in time. Those who argue the need to “preserve history” are turning a blind eye to the very real every day experience of encountering frequent casual reminders that degrade and belittle one’s existence and right to be free.

Black lives matter. Black well-being matters. Black humanity matters. Black dignity matters. Black mental health matters. Black experience matters. Respecting Black personhood matters. The time has long since passed to do this right, and Montgomery County needs to step up and do the right thing.

In 2017, shortly before it was moved, the statue had, in fact, been spray-painted with “Black Lives Matter.” The statue should have been preserved in that state, complete with that commentary, and placed in an educational site where it could serve the function of opening hearts and minds instead of honoring slavery and bondage. Instead, costing the county over $100,000, according to Bethesda Magazine, the statue was cleaned and moved to a place of honor and dignity with no educational materials or historical contextualization, and with the declaration that Black Lives Matter scrubbed away. Now, the monument sits at a bustling entrance to the County and State, reminding all who pass that our Black citizens are not considered worthy of basic respect.

The Montgomery County Council could and should have preserved the 2017 historical moment with the spray-painted message, honoring the fact that Black lives do, indeed, matter. Montgomery County officials chose instead to preserve the racist and hateful 1913 historical moment with no comment, no context, and no educational effort. They got it wrong, and you continue to get it wrong every day as long as it stands proudly in its current place. This is shameful. This was 2017, not 1867. We, the undersigned, are deeply ashamed of our County and our State. You eradicated the message, “Black Lives Matter,” in favor of the message, “Love the Thin Gray Line.”

When it was moved, County Executive Ike Leggett commented that he wanted it to remain in the County at a place where it could be visited by people interested in its local significance. However, there is nothing at the current site that contextualizes or educates or in any way indicates its “local significance.” Rather, it stands proudly proclaiming Maryland’s everlasting love of the Thin Gray Line. We are deeply ashamed of our home, Montgomery County, the State of Maryland, and its leadership who felt it appropriate not only to restore and preserve this monument with no educational effort, but to locate it at such a prominent entry point to the county and state, on the land of a ferry-operator who continues to believe that the name of the ferryboat, the “Jubal A. Early,” remains appropriate in the 21st century.  The re-naming of the ferryboat is another matter to which the County needs to attend. You gladly accept the services of the private owners to facilitate commerce. As a main entry point to the County and the State, the owners and operators of White’s Ferry represent us to those entering our home, and you have a responsibility to govern their messaging appropriately.

We, the undersigned residents of Montgomery County, the State of Maryland, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and other concerned Americans, demand these actions:

1 - Reclaim Montgomery County ownership of the Thin Gray Line statue and remove it from White’s Ferry property.
2 - Restore the passionate spray-painted assertion that “Black Lives Matter” to the statue because this graffiti is a crucial element of the statue’s history that will foster a full understanding of its “local significance,” which is the stated intent of the County in preserving the statue.
3 - Relocate the statue to an appropriate historical education site in Maryland with appropriate educational materials about (a) the history of slavery in Maryland, (b) Maryland residents’ participation in the American Civil War, and (c) the participation of Maryland residents in the Abolitionist Movement, the American Civil Rights Movement, and the Black Lives Matter Movement. These educational materials must include the promotion of an understanding of systemic racism and its contribution to Black trauma and must also provide resources to visitors of African descent about available support services to assist in their emotional and psychological well-being.
4 - Work with the owners of White’s Ferry to require that, as a significant entry point to the County and State, they rename the ferryboat with a historical moniker that does not promote the Confederacy. We also suggest that they consider renaming the site entirely to reclaim it from the Confederacy altogether.
5 - Assist the owners of White’s Ferry in providing historical markers and materials that educate the public on its local significance without disrespecting Black citizens and visitors.