The city of Asheville and Buncombe County will consider a joint resolution calling for the removal of two downtown Confederate monuments and discussion over modifying or removing the controversial Vance Monument.
City Council will consider the joint resolution at its 5 p.m. meeting today, June 9, while the county will consider it at its next meeting, June 16.
The resolution calls for the removal of a Confederate monument by the Buncombe County Courthouse and another, honoring Robert E. Lee, in front of the Vance Monument.
More: Confederate Vance Monument debate reignited amid George Floyd protests
The resolution notes, "Both of these monuments were paid for and erected by a private organization known as the United Daughters of the Confederacy, and ownership of these monuments have never passed to either the City or the County."
It gives the organization 90 days after potential passage of the resolution to the remove them.
The resolution states the Vance Monument is located on "the former site of the county courthouse which is the likely location where slaves were sold and traded locally," and that "African-American residents of the City of Asheville and Buncombe County have issued a clear call to remove and/or repurpose these monuments as expeditiously as possible due to the harm they pose, and to replace them with monuments that honor local African-American history and are created by African-American artists..."
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It also states the "Confederacy was formed by its political leaders for the express purpose of perpetuating and expanding slavery of African Americans" and that the "City of Asheville and Buncombe County recognize that the legacy of slavery, institutional segregation and ongoing systemic racism directly harm public safety and public health."
Task force to consider Vance Monument's future
The resolution calls for the formation of a 12-member task force to consider the Vance Monument's future, with half of the members appointed by the county, half by the city. That task force "shall, within three months of all appointments being made, provide a report to the City Council and the County Commission with a recommendation regarding the removal and/or repurposing of the Vance Monument."
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Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer said June 9 said of the removal and the work of the task force, "We want it to be quick -- that's what you see with the time frame."
Regarding Vance, Manheimer noted that discussions have been in place for years regarding the 65-foot obelisk, which dominates Pack Square.
"I think it's something we've talked about for a really long time, and it's come to a head, but it's necessary at this point to make a decision about this," said Manheimer, who was elected mayor in 2013. "Since I’ve been in office, this has been a recurring conversation. I feel comfortable that given the amount of time that's already been spent looking at the issue and talking about options, this task force should be able to operate in that time frame."
County Dems support measure
Buncombe Board of Commissioners Chairman Brownie Newman told the Citizen Times in an email he doesn't believe "that monuments which romanticize the Confederacy belong on city or county-owned land.”
He provided an email he sent to the rest of the seven-person board, telling them he’d spoken to his three fellow Democratic commissioners who indicated they “support the steps proposed by Asheville and also support the county taking steps to remove the Confederate monument next to the courthouse.”
“The reality is that we live in a community and country where African Americans experience chronic conditions that cause them to die younger than other Americans,” Newman wrote. “African Americans experience greater levels of violence. Systemic racism is, in real terms, a threat to public safety. Symbols are powerful. ... These symbols perpetuate an environment of institutional racism which must change so that all our people can finally live in a community that is safe for everyone."
Republican Commissioner Anthony Penland, representing District 2, did not directly say whether he would support the measure. But, in an email, he criticized the city and county's approach on the issue.
"It is apparent that the four Democratic commissioners, journalist and others knew about this resolution before I did," Penland wrote. "I have not been involved, informed or engaged with a discussion of this resolution at a time when our community is divided enough. This is a time when leaders should be setting the example and bringing everyone to the table."
The history of Vance Monument
The Vance Monument honors Buncombe County native Zebulon Baird Vance, who was North Carolina's governor during the Civil War, a slave owner and a documented racist. For years, people have debated whether a tribute to him — or other Confederate memorials — should hold such a prominent place in Asheville.
The discussion about the structure's removal has been reignited amid nationwide protests over the death of a black man, George Floyd, while in Minneapolis police custody.
In response to widespread demonstrations and calls for racial justice, Confederate monuments are coming down in the South — both toppled by crowds and removed by officials' design — in places like in Birmingham, Alabama; and Richmond, Virginia.
Vance Monument, where the George Floyd protests in Asheville have begun, has been tagged by demonstrators with the words "Black lives matter" and other messages, but remains in place.
Local historian Gordon McKinney penned a biography of Zeb Vance, describing him as "an avowed racist who used the racism of other whites for personal advantage and political purposes.”
He was a slave owner, according the late Citizen Times history columnist Rob Neufeld. And though historian Mark Essig wrote in a 2017 column that Vance was a reluctant secessionist, the governor fought to defeat the Union and preserve slavery once the Civil War started.
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During the Reconstruction era, Vance opposed rights for African Americans, working with his party to outlaw interracial marriage and integrated schools, and to give the state legislature power over local elections, which prevented majority-black counties from electing their own leaders, Essig wrote.
More: The Advance Monument: A proposal for Asheville’s Vance problem
Construction of the obelisk honoring him began on Dec. 22, 1897, and a band played “Dixie” as the cornerstone was laid.
The argument against removal
The North Carolina United Daughters of Confederacy did not immediately respond to an email sent the morning of June 9.
But Dr. Neill Payne, commander of the NC Sons of Confederate Veterans Black Mountain Chapter, said June 3 that Vance was "a great North Carolinian and he deserves to be remembered."
"The Bible says to 'remove not the ancient landmarks' and it sets a bad precedent when you get people (who) start hauling down this monument and that monument," he said. "It doesn't stop with Confederate monuments. ... Should we tear down Lincoln's memorial, too?"
Payne said black people who take issue with the monument don't have a good understanding of "the history of black people in the Confederacy" who he said also felt like their home was being attacked by "Yankees" during the Civil War.
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