South Carolina Culture

For the people of South Carolina, there is much to be prideful of. The rich culture and diversity of the state attracts tourists, businessmen, and families that integrate within the communities that have been established throughout the plethora of history that South Carolina has been involved with. The economy of South Carolina has been booming as various companies have stimulated jobs for people across that state, and this dynamic change is in part due to the national attention brought forth by the removal of the Confederate flag. The nation watched and nodded in approval as people rallied together in disdain of the Confederate flag after the wake of the terrible hate crime committed under its legacy. This event has propelled South Carolina

By allowing the statue of a governor of South Carolina that was not only racist, but pro-lynching, it advocates and glorifies the diverse history that South Carolina has in a negative light to all who look(????). We, as a people and a state, are rooted in the past. We are willingly shining light on a man who brought the state into a dark period of time, and it is unacceptable. The people of other states and nations who now view us as beginning to step into an era where we reexamine our history for what is actually is will see nothing more than ignorance on the part of both the people and the state officials who advocate for the Ben Tillman statue to stay

I remember learning about Ben Tillman’s glorious achievements for our state throughout all of my school education, but not once did I ever learn about his campaign consisting of Red Shirts that went around terrorizing people during the very violent 1876 election for governor. The youth of South Carolina have been “shielded” from the dark parts of South Carolina history. This creates a generation of people that exist today only knowing a biased history of South Carolina. Without understanding the past, future generations cannot work to prevent the mistakes of our ancestors. Along with this, it creates a cycle of ignorance. Both the government leaders in South Carolina, who lobby for the Ben Tillman statue, and the youth of the state who have no idea of the horrors that he committed, create a vicious cycle of ignorance that is witnessed in disdain by states across the