I am proud to live in a town that is part of the Black Lives Matter movement, and commend any community-based project that shows our support. At first I agreed with Chris Cerino and others, worrying about the clash between a modern sentiment expressed in a modern way and the historic character of our town that so many have worked so hard to preserve. I thought that a street mural would amount to just jumping on a bandwagon without respect for the ways in which our town is unique. But at the same time, I tried to understand Karen Somerville’s passionate and moving response to the word, “charm,” in the discussion following a Kent Pilot article. Charm is part of the town’s brand, and is part of what brings so many temporary visitors and long-term residents here. And our charm is inextricably tied to three centuries of history that represent both laudable and reprehensible practices and events. The Tea Party Festival celebrates a period in which some Chestertown residents were fighting for freedom from British oppression while simultaneously oppressing both free and enslaved Blacks. As a white person, I tend to think fondly of the hardscrabble life of the colonists, who were building something new while looking for freedom in what they saw as a wilderness. But that’s only one perspective, and others, like Karen, think with terror of the lynching of James Taylor, the tar and feathering led by the town’s Sheriff of a Black woman, and the ships bringing “their chained merchandise to auctions selling Black Lives.” So can we cover up every artifact, facade, and reminder of that history? Should we tear down every old building and rebuild with no reference to the past? No, we can’t and we shouldn’t. But the stark juxtaposition between a modern street mural and a historic town would make it blatantly clear to all that we are not trying to live in the past, and that we are overlaying our present values and beliefs on top of our historic town. The placement of the mural in the heart of our historic district would make sure that visitors and residents alike could not see one without the other.
I have seen references both to long-term maintenance of the mural and to the mural as temporary. To me, there will always be a need for the mural in our town, as there will always be a need to balance the pleasant aesthetic charm that some people see with the dark parts of our history that other people see.
Lolli Sherry says
This is a sensitive and sensible view of the Mural issue. And I am thankful to Karen for having so eloquently explained why one person’s charming past is another’s nightmare. Many an eye has been opened. We need those murals.
Beverly Smith says
I agree with you. Although I am a fairly new resident of Chestertown and may not have the long term dedication to the history of the town, I am well aware of both the good and the bad history. I appreciate living here and the beauty of the architecture of the past, but that should never preclude the fact that we are living now, not then. We do not need to throw away anything of the past and rebuild everything, what is here from the past is well worth keeping. However we do need to recognize the terrible history of the past as well the good parts, and include them in the history of Chestertown. In addition we need to attend to current issues and times. Painting Black Lives Matter on the street is one way to respond to the past and to the future of Chestertown. However we do need to remember it is a symbol not a solution. We cannot live in the past but must live in the present, and we must do what we can to include all of Chestertown in to our future. Don’t forget to send in the census and to VOTE.
Beryl Smith says
In summer we go to Hammondsport, New York. Several years ago the very small community decided to educate those who came here to their history. They didn’t do it with something you would drive over and ignore but rather had metal marker/signs (my ability to describe falters) with interesting factoids about what happened and where. The entire wall of a grocery store in the middle of town is devoted to Glenn Curtis and his development of airplanes. This is the way to educate people, not to trample on t he message. I tooo was struck by Karen’s message and i would like to see education take its place in telling people that Chestertown was not all wine and roses but had a dark history that carries vestiges into today.
Ann Miller says
“They didn’t do it with something you would drive over and ignore but rather had metal marker/signs (my ability to describe falters) with interesting factoids about what happened and where.”
Excellent point
Sharon Talley says
All lives matter. Plain & simple. In Sunday school I learned red, yellow, black, or white Jesus loves the children of the world. We need to love one another regardless of race. We all need to live from this day forward in peace and equality. Stop removing history. That’s the way it was. It’s not that way it is. Stop destroying, looting, stealing, killing. Let’s all love each other and don’t bring destruction to town.
Dorcas Coleman says
Sharon Talley, why is it so hard to just say “Black Lives Matter?” They haven’t truly mattered to the establishment for over 350 years so why is it so difficult to rally behind the message now… finally…. it takes absolutely nothing away from the lives of others – it’s just a recognition that is too long overdue…. why does that strike fear in the heart of so many? If you truly have love in your heart, look outside of yourself.
Sue Ann Zimmerman says
The location of the mural is unfortunate. It should have had a more prominent position, further up High Street in the main downtown, not hiding down the street, where most of us seldom travel.