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Reconsidering Heritage
How John Oliver Changed My Mind About Confederate Monuments
Growing up in New Orleans, I was surrounded by symbols of the Confederacy. Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis were prominent in my city, found in our streets, schools, and conversations. For 50 years, I thought these statues were important parts of my Southern heritage and history. I visited Jefferson Davis’ plantation on school trips, just like I did with the battlefield of the 1815 Battle of New Orleans or the Audubon Zoo. When people began discussing removing these statues, I strongly opposed it, believing they represented a valuable part of our history.
For years, I defended these monuments. I argued that Robert E. Lee had been offered command of the Union Army before Virginia seceded. I maintained that while he did not support secession, his home was in Virginia, creating a complicated legacy. However, as I thought more about this narrative, I started to see the difficulty in defending someone whose actions and the context of the times told a darker story. It became harder to argue that Lee was “not that bad a guy,” especially when considering that the Confederacy fought to keep slavery.
Then, two years ago, everything changed. During a class on “The Psychology of Prejudice,” I watched a segment from John Oliver’s “Last Week Tonight “ addressing the Confederacy and its symbols. Oliver’s…
