A panel discussion on Confederate monuments, including Silent Sam, is set for Wednesday night.

The Town of Chapel Hill Public Library and UNC Public Humanities are partnering to present a discussion entitled “Beyond the Headlines: Confederate Monuments, Historical Memory & Free Speech.”

The panel is set to discuss recent events and the monuments and memorials that have been at the center of the debate. The discussion over these monuments to the Confederacy and their place in our society has been intensifying after the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, earlier this month where a counter protester was killed.

Organizers of that rally said they were protesting the decision from the Charlottesville City Council to remove monuments to the Confederacy.

The local debate has focused on Silent Sam, the statue honoring UNC students who died fighting for the Confederacy, which stands on McCorkle Place. After protesters in Durham toppled a Confederate memorial that stood in front of the old County Courthouse, protesters rallied around Silent Sam calling for its removal.

Legal issues have complicated the decision for UNC officials. Chancellor Carol Folt has said she would order the statue removed, if she felt the university had the legal unilateral authority to do so. But she has maintained that a 2015 law passed by the Republican-led General Assembly prevents her from issuing that directive.

Student protesters have been camped out around Silent Sam over the past week, which they say is intended to keep the pressure on the university administration.

Wednesday night’s panel discussion is scheduled to include Chapel Hill Police Chief Chris Blue, UNC assistant professor of english Danielle Christmas, UNC assistant professor of history William Sturkey, UNC distinguished professor of southern culture Harry Watson, Flyleaf Books manager and owner Jamie Fiocco and News & Observer contributing columnist Edwin M. Yoder Jr.

UNC history professor and director of Carolina Public Humanities Lloyd Kramer is set to serve as the moderator of the panel discussion. Following the main presentation, audience members will be invited to ask questions and discuss the issues with the panelists.

The forum is scheduled to begin at six o’clock in Meeting Room B at the Chapel Hill Public Library.

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