Monumental Task Committee Proposal: Michael Jackson Square?

The Monumental Task Committee’s win-win proposal to keep New Orleans’ Jackson Square and Lee Circle with a slight twist.

Since the March 6th, 2017 Federal Court ruling allowing the removal of four historic Confederate monuments, tensions in New Orleans have been rising. In researching the history of the monument controversy, I learned about The Monumental Task Committee’s proposal to the city that outlines an alternative plan to removing the monuments.

The Monumental Task Force, one of the groups that sued over the planned removal, submitted a plan to the city to create new monuments for unspecified African American figures…

From a 2015 www.nola.com story talking about the committee’s effort to attain 31,000 signatures for a petition to stop the removal, there were hints about the committee’s alternative plan.

Pierre McGraw, president of the Monumental Task Committee, said its members invited the mayor and council members to participate in an August forum to discuss options to removal. In addition, the group says it would like to see additional statues erected … and help identify methods to interpret the monuments so they serve a more productive purpose in our community. He would not give more specifics on the proposed statues. Full story on www.nola.com.

Plan Specifics

I reached out and spoke to committee member Bob Lee (Yes, Robert “Bob” Lee — shocker) about some specifics of the proposal. Mr. Lee told me the committee’s primary goal was to find a solution that was inclusive to all New Orleans residents; a solution that everyone would support. And he thinks they nailed it.

“We want the African-American community to feel more included and at the same time, retain the namesakes of these historical sites, which is a big concern supporters of the Confederate monuments. They can still call it Jackson Square, we know that’s important to them. It’s just Michael Jackson Square now.”

The plan seems to address two competing concerns by following the lead of other progressive cities. For example, in Austin, TX Robert E. Lee Elementary school was renamed in honor of local photographer Russell Lee, and it worked. It worked without riots, without protest, and without people wearing masks in the middle of the night.

Jackson Square

The idea for Michael Jackson Square was in response to a statement from Take Em Down NOLA coordinator, Malcolm Suber, in a recent WWL-TV story.

Suber said he is now looking ahead to his next fight. He wants Andrew Jackson’s statue at Jackson Square changed to honor runaway slave and abolitionist Harriet Tubman. “If Harriet Tubman can be placed on the $20 bill, in coming years, we can remove Jackson from Jackson Square and call it Tubman Square,” Suber said.

Lee told me Suber’s got it wrong. That’ll never work. It’s too much too fast for people to grapple with. People do not like drastic change. You have to ease into it. Start with a Jackson that everyone loves. The King of Pop, Michael Jackson, is an obvious choice.

“What’s better, someone who ALLEGEDLY molested children, or someone who actually owned slaves and disenfranchised an entire race? Amirite?”

Hard to argue with that reasoning, especially for a city with strong music culture. Plus, no one is going to call it Tubman Square. He’s right.

Lee Circle

I have to admit I was a little shocked to hear the next part of the committee’s plan for Lee Circle. Instead of dedicating Lee Circle to a general who never stepped foot in Louisiana, why not find a suitable replacement with the same name? The committee decided to honor a filmmaker who captured the plight of post-Katrina New Orleans residents in a sobering 4 hour HBO Documentary — When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts.

Bob Lee proudly said, “We are going to Do The Right Thing and replace General Lee with Spike Lee”.

Summary

This type of “repeal and replace” resolves other less recognized issues, like having to change street addresses and street signs.