As ugly as slavery was, we should not attempt to rewrite history by removing statues of those who fought to preserve it. Only in a totalitarian state is it common to rewrite events by reissuing textbooks and removing names and facts to paint a more acceptable image of events. Let the statues in the Southern states remain where they are. They will be a daily reminder to us that freedom for an enslaved race was fought and won.

Bert Dybdahl

Bellevue