Thoughts on Who Knows What

It’s heart breaking to think that there was a time where lynchings were ok. But it goes deeper then that. What I really can’t believe is that people, normal people like you or I, thought that these spectical lynchings were alright— and not only that they were alright but were also enjoyable events to bring family and friends to.It’s disgusting.They were a form of entertainment. What I will never understand is how people could ever be that cruel and inhumane. It goes even farther than that even…

About three hours south of where Fairfax and GMU lay, is a small city called Lynchburg, VA. I only know of this city because of an ex of mine who happens to be from there. It’s a beautiful place, situated on the top of rolling hills. I think it’s even nicknamed the “City of the Seven Hills” or “Hill City”, not that it matters. There is a strong music and art scene located in Lynchburg with more then a few bands and galleries. Generally, it’s an amazing town with beautiful greenery and some unique architecture. What I find most fascinating about this town, however, is it’s name and history.

This first point I have little to back me up then the word of my ex who had lived there all his life, however I wouldn’t be the slightest bit surprised if it were true. He claimed that Lynchburg was where lynching was invented, by a guy named John Lynch. And that there is where the city got its name. I hope with all I can that this isn’t true.

In allure of writing this post I did a little digging into the towns past. I’m going to keep it short and sweet, you can find more at your own leisure on the city’s Wikipedia page in a mere matter of seconds. It was founded by a man of the last name John Lynch in 1721 after having been settled by Native Americans since 1270. I’ll let you draw your own conclusions about how that happened. The city proceeded to make most of its money from tobacco and slave labor. During the Civil War, Lynchburg was a Confederate transportation hub and supply depot. The later history is equally as vast, however less relevant to my point and this class.

What are we saying with places like Lynchburg? That’s the question I’ve been trying to answer all along. Its past and name are riddled with racism and yet we still memorialize our toxic American history. Now I’m not saying that we should change it, and I’m not saying we should keep it the same. Is it really bad for a town to be proud of its past? I think the answer is both yes and no. I should mention that there are a few confederate memorials in the city itself, so is it not ok that there is a memorial for the confederates when the confederates were not the socially acceptable side? Or you could think of the memorial as being in honor of those who died, not necessarily in honor of confederated themselves but rather in honor of the brave men (and women) who fought for what they believed in even if they were incorrect beliefs. That’s why the issue of taking down confederate and racist statues is such a sticky topic with no right answer. I personally think it’s important to remember where we came from and our past, if only so we remember not to fall onto the darker paths again. History repeats itself and it’s a good reminder of what should never happen again. At the same time, like I mentioned earlier, I don’t believe we should glamorize or dark past either which is something that I find can happen with memorials. There’s really no good answer to that….