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Awaiting UNC Board Of Governors' Silent Sam Decision

WUNC News | By Frank Stasio,
Laura Pellicer
Published December 6, 2018 at 12:38 PM EST

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Board of Trustees issued their recommendation Monday for the future of the confederate Silent Sam monument. The board wants to see the statue housed in a $5.3M history center on south campus. The news prompted protest among the students and faculty on campus who do not want the statue re-erected on any part of the campus.

Host Frank Stasio speaks with UNC Board of Governors member Thom Goolsby and UNC professor Erika Wilson about the ongoing controversy over Silent Sam.

Host Frank Stasio speaks with UNC Board of Governors member Thom Goolsby, an outspoken proponent for putting the statue back in its original location based on adherence to the 2015 state law. 

Erika Wilson, the Thomas Willis Lambeth Distinguished Professor in Public Policy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill also joins the conversation to explain why she believes the 2015 state law regarding the protection of monuments and statues is in conflict with federal civil rights law. She calls the proposed plan “a slap in the face to the many black students, faculty and staff who oppose this symbol of white supremacy.” 

Copyright 2018 North Carolina Public Radio
Frank Stasio
Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.
See stories by Frank Stasio
Laura Pellicer
Laura Pellicer is a producer with The State of Things (hyperlink), a show that explores North Carolina through conversation. Laura was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, a city she considers arrestingly beautiful, if not a little dysfunctional. She worked as a researcher for CBC Montreal and also contributed to their programming as an investigative journalist, social media reporter, and special projects planner. Her work has been nominated for two Canadian RTDNA Awards. Laura loves looking into how cities work, pursuing stories about indigenous rights, and finding fresh voices to share with listeners. Laura is enamored with her new home in North Carolina—notably the lush forests, and the waves where she plans on moonlighting as a mediocre surfer.
See stories by Laura Pellicer