Statement from the UNC Institute of Politics

August 21, 2018

Last night, a group of protestors toppled the Silent Sam statue from its location on McCorkle Place. Silent Sam has been on the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill since 1913. Regardless of one’s personal opinions of the development, the forcible removal of this Confederate monument by protestors is a significant moment in our community’s history.

Moving forward, the Institute of Politics is committed to providing a space for constructive conversation. The responsibility lies on our shoulders as students to deliberately embrace discussions about our state’s most daunting issues.

We are hosting an Open House this Wednesday, August 22nd at 5:30pm. In light of the events of August 20, we are changing the topic of the night from a discussion about our programs to a more narrow reflection. Instead of our previously scheduled program, we will facilitate a conversation with former Institute of Politics Fellows to reflect on the removal of Silent Sam. It is vital that in inflection points in our history like this moment, we focus on how to build a stronger future together. By inviting community members, UNC students, and leading practitioners in North Carolina public service, we seek to bring key stakeholders together to have meaningful reflection.

We hope to move forward as a community by facilitating the necessary honest discourse in the aftermath of this event.

Sincerely,

Student Advisory Board