Lawsuit Filed Against N.C. County to Remove Monument Commemorating ‘Faithful Slaves’

A federal lawsuit has been filed by a group of residents in a small county in North Carolina to remove a Confederate-era monument that honors “our faithful slaves.”

The civic group known as The Concerned Citizens of Tyrrell County filed the lawsuit last week, stating that the monument on the county courthouse expresses a racially discriminatory message, violating the 14^th Amendment.

According to the lawsuit, the full inscription on the 20-foot tall, 122-year-old structure reads, “In appreciation of our faithful slaves,” promoting a message in favor of slavery and the Confederacy.

The monument features a Confederate soldier standing on a tall pedestal and has been linked to a history of racial injustice in the county. Attorney Ian Mance, representing the plaintiffs, stated that the monument was erected to signal to the Black community that they could not expect justice in the courthouse.

The monument was unveiled in 1902 in the presence of about 3,000 people, as reported by The Washington Post here.