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
‹
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 […]
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 […]
Court Docs: UNC System Prepared Silent Sam Settlement Before Lawsuit Was Filed
The UNC System announced Wednesday November 27 it was settling a lawsuit the Sons of Confederate Veterans had filed against it. But according to court documents, the settlement of a $2.5 million trust fund and possession of the Confederate monument known as Silent Sam was determined before the lawsuit was even filed. Court documents accessed […]
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 […]
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 Students File Appeal in Case Over Silent Sam Settlement
The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law filed an appeal on behalf of a group of UNC students and a faculty member to intervene in the settlement between the UNC System and a pro-Confederate group. The organization filed on Tuesday in regards to the denial of its motion to intervene in the deal that […]
UNC Black Pioneers Send Letter to Board of Governors Opposing Silent Sam Settlement
The letter is signed by 18 members of the UNC Black Pioneers, who all attended the university between 1952 and 1972. Chair of the group Walter Jackson arrived at Carolina in 1963. On the Weekend Water Cooler podcast, he described arriving on campus as being a cultural shock because the university was an “overwhelmingly white […]
›