Graffiti on Silent Sam: 1968 and 2015

Last weekend,”Silent Sam,” the Confederate memorial located on McCorkle Place, was spray painted with “KKK,” “Black Lives Matter,” and “Murderer” with an arrow pointing to the Confederate soldier above. The monument was covered before being cleaned a few days later. The incident highlights Silent Sam’s place … Continue reading

Last weekend,”Silent Sam,” the Confederate memorial located on McCorkle Place, was spray painted with “KKK,” “Black Lives Matter,” and “Murderer” with an arrow pointing to the Confederate soldier above. The monument was covered before being cleaned a few days later.

The incident highlights Silent Sam’s place in the ongoing discussion of race, campus landmarks and spaces, and university history. It also reflects the renewed push against the display of Confederate symbols since the racially-motivated attack in Charleston, South Carolina on June 17.

However, while the action was timely given these current contexts, it isn’t a first. Most strikingly, in early April 1968, as the country was gripped by grief and unrest following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., Silent Sam was splashed with red paint and its base covered with words and symbols.

Silent Sam, circa April 7, 1968. From the Hugh Morton Photographic Collection, North Carolina Collection Photographic Archive, Wilson Library, UNC Chapel Hill.
Silent Sam, July 5, 2015. From Twitter, via Stephanie Lamm (@slamm_5)
A student volunteer cleans graffiti from the base of "Silent Sam,"  April 8, 1968. From the Daily Tar Heel,  April 9, 1968, North Carolina Collection, Wilson Library, UNC Chapel Hill.
Workers clean Silent Sam, July 7, 2015. From the Daily Tar Heel, July 9, 2015. http://bit.ly/1CrjLHq