A much-anticipated Chatham County Commissioners meeting Monday at 6 p.m. will focus on what to do about the Confederate statue outside the county courthouse in Downtown Pittsboro.

County officials expect a large turnout to the meeting, so much so that commission chair Mike Dasher recently announced that the meeting will be moved to the Chatham County Agriculture & Conference Center on the west side of Pittsboro, which can accommodate a larger crowd.

Chatham For All is a group of residents presenting Monday night on why they think the monument should not stand where it currently does. Howard Fifer, a resident and participant in Chatham For All, said Chatham residents will present their stories about the statue, and ask Chatham commissioners to rescind the agreement between the statue’s owners, the local chapter of the Daughters of the Confederacy, and the county.

Fifer said he will provide introductory remarks before speakers from Chatham for All. He said he hopes the commissioners demonstrate what he described as “good leadership” and return the statue to the Daughters of the Confederacy.

Fifer said he agrees with the statue’s supporters that you can’t erase history. But, he said, this monument’s history is not what its supporters think it is, and there are other voices in Chatham County that need to be heard.

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