A new kind of Confederate monument? Seriously?

This proposal to build a State House monument to black Confederate soldiers is the most ludicrous suggestion I’ve seen in many years.

Why don’t we also honor black soldiers who fought for Apartheid? How about black Nazis?

RELATED: SC monument to black soldiers would be a whitewash

Many, if not most, of the black men who fought for the South were forced to do so. Instead of “honoring” black Confederate soldiers with monuments, why not remove the monuments to Confederates who can boast no achievement other than participation in the Civil War? We can still honor people who also made significant contributions to our country or state (as long as some context is provided, e.g., explaining Benjamin Tillman’s views on race).

The Confederacy was developed to defend that “peculiar institution” known as slavery. All slavery originates with the idea that the slaves are inferior to their masters, that they are sub-human (in the United States before Reconstruction, three-fifths of a citizen to be precise).

Since my grandfather fought for the Confederacy, this is part of my personal history that I have to acknowledge, but I see no need to honor it with monuments. Keep it in the history books and museums — lest we forget.