Keeping Ben Tillman’s statue on the State House grounds doesn’t reflect SC’s values

On Ben Tillman

The General Assembly should remove the monument on the State House grounds honoring Benjamin Tillman. The monument pays tribute to a man who championed white supremacy and the disenfranchisement of Black South Carolinians.

As governor Tillman achieved his goal of circumventing the 15th Amendment to the Constitution that gave Black males the right to vote. Eventually the SC Constitution of 1895, orchestrated by Tillman, effectively took the right to vote away from Black South Carolinians and paved the way for the oppressive Jim Crow system.

Tillman later served in the U.S. Senate and made numerous speeches supporting white supremacy and lynching; in one speech, for example, Tillman boasted that that the people of the South would never view Blacks to “be the equal of the white man.”

Removing this monument will in no way erase history because many books still continue to record Tillman’s role in South Carolina’s past.

But having a monument that honors Tillman, and on such a prominent site, is painful to many people — and it should be an embarrassment to all people.

It does not reflect the values of South Carolinians in the 21st century.

Mary Edmonds, Columbia

On SAFE Grants

South Carolina parents choose Catholic schools for a variety of reasons — from faith to academic rigor to what we give back to the communities we serve.

We have always tried to keep our costs as low as possible and provide scholarships to those most in need, but we are not guaranteed funds for each student as other educational models are.

Moreover, in trying economic times it becomes even more difficult for families to afford to pay tuition, creating the potential for disruption in their children’s lives if they must transfer back into the public school system.

A Catholic education should be attainable for all South Carolina families, and we know from national research that while only 10% of parents currently send their kids to private schools, 42% would choose a private school if they could.

That is why we are extremely grateful that Gov. Henry McMaster has announced SAFE Grants, a program that will offer grants of up to $6,500 to low- and middle-income families so they are able to stay in or attend the schools of their choice during these trying times.

SAFE Grants will provide educational stability for thousands of South Carolina families who are facing so much hardship right now.

We want to thank Gov. McMaster for his leadership on this issue, and for letting parents know that they can choose a quality Catholic education for their children.

Monsignor Richard Harris. Columbia

Monsignor Harris is Vicar General of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston., and the pastor of St. Joseph Catholic Church and School..

On loved ones

What are we thinking? Where is our humanity and our courage? How can our society think it’s OK to let people die alone in hospitals and nursing homes?

Yes, I realize that trained professionals are often holding the hands of our loved ones as they die. But just as often, they aren’t and our people perish totally unconscious and alone. Nobody deserves that ending. It is unnatural and we can do better.

As this pandemic has progressed from disbelief to panic and finally acceptance, there are certain things we simply should never accept as a modern society.

We should not accept that there is no way to safely be in the room with our terminal loved one. If a hospital worker can be in the room and be protected, then certainly a loved one can be present with the same protocols. (Yes, there was a critical short supply of PPE supplies; however, you can now order them on the internet).

We can figure this out.

It will take effort on everyone’s part, but it’s the right thing to do.

We cannot allow our humanity to take a break at a critical time like this.

Who wants to die alone? Not me.

Allison Dorn Brown, Columbia

This story was originally published July 21, 2020 at 12:32 PM.