The spot where Silent Sam once stood on McCorkle Place is now covered with fallen leaves, making it impossible to tell exactly where the Confederate statue was before being toppled in 2018. Protesters walked over it on their way to the steps of South Building as part of a demonstration to speak out against the UNC System’s decision to grant the statue and a $2.5 million trust fund to the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

The protest, organized by the campus’ Black Student Movement, largely addressed the students’ concerns over the system giving money to a pro-Confederate group and negotiating in confidentiality.

UNC junior and President of the BSM Chris Suggs said the system’s actions directly support the ideology of white supremacy. He said despite being unable to do anything about the settlement being complete, his organization wanted to show they plan to hold the system’s leadership accountable and not let its actions go unnoticed.

“That was the purpose of this demonstration: we’re listening, we see the racist negotiations taking place, we see the back room [discussions],” Suggs said. “They’re directly attacking students at Carolina [by funding pro-Confederate groups] and we’re going to show them we’re not standing for these decisions.”

Suggs said when protesting at UNC, much of his activism has been addressing the university’s actions. With the UNC Board of Governors at the center of the settlement, which it negotiated before the SCV filed a lawsuit against the UNC System, he said it shows the deep-rooted issues go far beyond just the Chapel Hill campus.

“It speaks volumes that these decisions are not just happening at the university level,” said Suggs, “but there’s an orchestrated effort by our state leaders, state assembly, legislature and the North Carolina Republican party to attack students and show they don’t care about us. It’s not just a UNC thing, it’s a University of North Carolina System thing.”

BSM leaders encouraged other protesters take the microphone at the steps of South Building and express their feelings about the settlement. UNC Student Body President Ashton Martin spoke to the crowd, sharing her opposition and frustration over the Board of Governors’ decision.

Members of the Black Student Movement lead a protest where the Confederate statue Silent Sam once stood.

“I’ve been to a lot of these protests and I’m tired of it,” Martin said. “I can’t believe it’s a year later and we’re still [having to protest against Silent Sam]. I’m trying my best to come up with a plan forward but that’s what I need your help with. I don’t know where we now, but I’m excited to see where we can go because I don’t agree with this plan.”

Another element of the settlement students criticized was the announcement of the results just ahead of the Thanksgiving break. BSM members said they believe the move was strategically made to quell reactions on campus. Suggs said revealing the deal with the SCV when students are preparing for exams was no coincidence.

“I have two finals tomorrow and I’m here protesting when I should be studying,” he said, “because once again, UNC has chosen to make a decision that’s harmful to students. We’re here to be leaders and get a well-rounded education so we can be productive citizens. But the decisions the university system made recently and in the past are showing they don’t want us to be productive citizens. They don’t want us to be civically engaged in the processes affecting our educations and our communities.”

When asked whether his organization would hold a demonstration at the Board of Governors’ meeting on December 13, Suggs declined to comment.

Related Stories
‹
Group of UNC Alumni Say Pro-Confederate Group Had No Standing in Silent Sam Lawsuit
A group of UNC alumni and donors filed court documents into the lawsuit between the UNC System and a pro-Confederate group on Wednesday, arguing there was no standing for the lawsuit that led to a $2.5 million settlement. 88 alumni of the university, including 14 members of the UNC Black Pioneers, entered a brief to […]
UNC Interim Chancellor Guskiewicz Sends Letter to UNC System, Voices Concerns over Silent Sam Settlement
After a more than a week of protests by the campus community against the UNC System’s decision to settle a lawsuit with a pro-Confederate group, UNC Interim Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz sent a letter to the system’s leadership outlining concerns over the decision. Guskiewicz, who shared the letter in a message to the campus community on […]
UNC Faculty Condemn System's Settlement with Pro-Confederate Group in Resolution
Faculty members of UNC voiced their opposition to a settlement by the UNC System with a pro-Confederate group over the statue known as Silent Sam. At its monthly meeting on Friday, the UNC Faculty Council passed a resolution criticizing the decision to create a $2.5 million trust fund and cede possession of the Confederate monument […]
Orange County Judge: SCV Have 45 Days to Return 'Silent Sam' to UNC
A judge imposed a 45-day deadline on the Sons of Confederate Veterans to return the Silent Sam statue to the University of North Carolina. Orange County Superior Court Judge Allen Baddour also ruled that the group must return the remaining balance of a $2.5 million trust fund that the university’s board of governors set up […]
Confederate Group Lawsuit, Silent Sam Settlement Dismissed in Court
An Orange County judge has dismissed the lawsuit filed by the Sons of Confederate Veterans against the UNC System, voiding the $2.5 million payment to the pro-Confederate group and the transfer of property of the Silent Sam monument. After hearing arguments from both original parties, as well as two groups who filed amicus briefs arguing […]
Daily Tar Heel Ownership Files Lawsuit Against UNC, Board of Governors Over Silent Sam Deals
The media group which owns the student newspaper The Daily Tar Heel filed a lawsuit against the University of North Carolina and the UNC System Board of Governors on Wednesday. DTH Media Corporation filed the lawsuit, alleging the settlement between the Board of Governors and the pro-Confederate group the Sons of Confederate Veterans over a […]
Judge Blocks Civil Rights Lawyers, UNC Students Efforts to Intervene in Silent Sam Deal
An Orange County judge will not let students intervene in a settlement that gave a Confederate heritage group money to preserve a monument that protesters tore down at North Carolina’s flagship public university. Judge Allen Baddour ruled that the University of North Carolina students represented by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law lacked […]
Civil Rights Lawyers Stake Claim in Confederate Statue Case
A national civil rights group has warned the leaders of the University of North Carolina System that it should reconsider a $2.5 million settlement involving a statue of a Confederate soldier that protesters toppled last year at the system’s flagship campus. In a letter sent to the attorney who represented the UNC Board of Governors, […]
UNC Interim Chancellor Guskiewicz Responds to System's Settlement of Silent Sam
UNC Interim Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz issued a statement Friday in response to a settlement made by the UNC System with a pro-Confederate organization. Guskiewicz sent a letter to the campus community where he shared his thoughts on the resolution of the future of the Confederate statue known as Silent Sam, which stood on UNC campus […]
UNC Students Protest System's Settlement over Silent Sam
The spot where Silent Sam once stood on McCorkle Place is now covered with fallen leaves, making it impossible to tell exactly where the Confederate statue was before being toppled in 2018. Protesters walked over it on their way to the steps of South Building as part of a demonstration to speak out against the […]
›