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Asheville’s Towering Memorial To Confederate Leader

WUNC | By Laura Pellicer,
Frank Stasio
Published August 8, 2017 at 12:21 PM EDT
A conversation is brewing in Asheville surrounding a monument honoring Zebulon Vance, a confederate leader during the Civil War.
Travis
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Flickr - Creative Commons -https://flic.kr/p/dsjqqa
A conversation is brewing in Asheville surrounding a monument honoring Zebulon Vance, a confederate leader during the Civil War.

 In the heart of downtown Asheville sits Pack Square, a bustling center lined by popular restaurants and ongoing construction projects. A stone obelisk stretches skyward from the center of the square honoring Zebulon Vance, North Carolina’s governor during the Civil War. 

A conversation with Blue Ridge Public Radio News Director Matt Bush about the memorial in the heart of downtown Asheville honoring Zebulon Vance, North Carolina’s governor during the Civil War.

Vance also held office during Reconstruction, including a two-year gubernatorial term and a long tenure in the U.S. Senate. As states like Louisiana and South Carolina take steps to remove symbols of the confederacy from public spaces, some residents in Asheville are questioning why the homage to Vance still rests proudly in the square.

Host Frank Stasio speaks with Blue Ridge Public Radio News Director Matt Bush about the future of the monument. 

Copyright 2017 North Carolina Public Radio
Local News
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
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