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If Southerners Want Monuments, Let’s Build Ones to Cornbread and Collards
We need monuments that unite us. Our food heritage is worth commemorating.
The felling of Confederate monuments all across the South is celebrated by many, but decried by others. Those of us who are glad to see them go know that they were erected with the express purpose of driving a skewed narrative about the Confederacy, celebrating a shameful chapter in the South’s history.
Then there are the Southerners who are angry and sad, and feel they are losing a part of their heritage. If you are in this camp, I do sympathize. While I may never convince you that these statues aren’t your true heritage, I am going to float something out there for you to consider.
Those of you who have lived in the South all your life, what is the first thing you think of when I say “the South”? Is it Confederate monuments? No! It’s cornbread and collard greens. It’s barbecue and sweet tea. It’s fried chicken and mashed potatoes. It’s pecan pie and peach cobbler.
This, my Southern brothers and sisters, is our heritage. It’s what makes us glad we were born in the South. Nowhere on the planet can you find better food on the table than in the South. Now I know I’m a bit biased, but ask any Southerner and they will tell you…
