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Friends the Stonewall Jackson monument in Richmond was taken down today. Much as Paul proclaimed he was a Pharisee and the son of a Pharisees, I consider myself as a true son of the South. My ancestors fought in the CSA army. One was wounded in spring, 1864. I graduated from
(2) Washington & Lee Univ, an institution I love. Where Rob’t E Lee spent the final years of his life post war as college president, and had an impact that continues to this day. He believed in reunification and in education. Next door was the VMI campus where Stonewall Jackson
(3) was a professor before the War. Across the street from my apartment was the Stonewall Jackson cemetery. While in school I worked as a docent at the Stonewall Jackson house. Stonewall Jackson was a genius military leader. His campaigns, such as the Valley campaign and the
(4) Chancellorsville campaign, were remarkable military feats. Personally, he had strange personal habits. His life, like Lee’s, is fascinating to study.
And - it is right that the monuments come down. These statues of men who lived 150 years ago
And - it is right that the monuments come down. These statues of men who lived 150 years ago
(5) serve today to divide flesh and blood human beings. This should not be so. We should seek reconciliation between neighbors not division. All men of good will should so seek but for the Christian it is a command. So, it is right that the statues come down. I would not have
(6) thought so if you had asked me even five years ago. But our nation needs to move forward in brotherhood not look back. I strongly suspect even Lee and Jackson would agree. Removing statues won’t heal our racial divides. But perhaps it is a small step in that direction. If so
(7) it is a worthwhile step. I believe these days should be days of reflection for all Americans - but especially for Southerners black and white. There is so much that binds us. A common history. Speech, food, music, the land. I feel far more in common with a black Southerner
(8) than, say, a white New Englander(no offense to New Englanders). It’s time for us to move forward, together. 
