I have been parking in the same parking lot for a little over 17 years and I am familiar with the cars that park there and the people who own them. Recently, a car that has begun to park in the lot has attracted my attention. Instead of pulling into the spot like most people do, this car backs in so their license plate on the front of the car is clearly visible. You guessed it…the license plate is the confederate flag, the stars and bars …and I must say when I saw it I began to “feel some kind of way.”
After the altercation in Virginia, I felt uneasy. The display of the license plate seems to be so intentional. One day I got a glimpse of the car’s owners. “Do they work in the same building as I do, are they only passing through the area and why do they park in the same spot every day in the same way?” All of these questions are running through my head. I know that this car and the way it is parked would not phase me if not for that license plate that they have every right to display on their car.
As I have watched the news coverage of the altercation in Charlottesville, the hate groups fly their confederate flags prominently. To me, the presence of the flag sends a clear message of racism and hate, not love of southern roots. Many of the people who display the flag in the north have never lived in the south or have any connection to the south.
During these last two weeks I have given a lot of thought to monuments in our area and in other places as well. It seems that the only monument that has drawn any attention locally has been the statue of Stephen Foster in Oakland. It is located outside of the Carnegie Library on Forbes Avenue and includes a depiction of an African American slave. It seems like the statue has been there for over 120 years. I have never been bothered by it and actually forgot about it until recently. When I was part of the Stages in History Acting Company at the John Heinz History Center we had an actor that portrayed Stephen Foster. We strolled throughout the History Center and told the stories of Pittsburgh via brief plays. If you are saying to yourself, ‘Who is Stephen Foster?’ Well, place these tunes in your head; “O Susanna don’t you cry for me,” or “Camp town races sing this song do dah do dah.” There is now a debate over what to do with the statue. Are you kidding me right now? Renee Piechocki, director of Public Art for the non-profit Pittsburgh Arts Council says the statue is not appropriate for public property. I took a good look at the statue, Black man playing banjo, no shoes but happy, White man above him seems to be looking down. I say keep the statue up, make it a teachable moment. Foster is a part of Pittsburgh history. Perhaps the slave is the co-author of the song.
(Email Debbie at debbienorrell@aol.com)
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Keep the Stephen Foster statue up (Aug. 23, 2017)
