We oppose keeping a statue of Ninian Edwards in a public square in downtown Edwardsville.  We support learning our history and learning from our history without the City of Edwardsville honoring and venerating Ninian Edwards’ racist legacy. Our public spaces should reflect our community’s values.

Sincerely,

Grant Armstrong, Senior Pastor, St. John’s United Methodist Church (Edwardsville)

Kathryn Bentley, Director, SIUE Black Studies Program

Tisha Brooks, Chair, SIUE Department of English

Lakesha Butler, President, SIUE Black Faculty and Staff Association

Kevin Cannon, Chair, SIUE Department of Criminal Justice Studies

Grant Claunch, Pastor of Discipleship, Newsong Fellowship

The DREAM (Dismantling Racism through Education, Advocacy and
Mobilization) Collective

Jocelyn DeGroot, President, SIUE Faculty Senate

Jennifer Hernandez, Co-chair, SIUE Safe Zone

Laura Milsk Fowler, SIUE Director of Museum Studies

Linda Markowitz, Chair, SIUE Sociology Department

Nick Niemerg, Co-chair, SIUE Safe Zone

Tanya Patton, Founder, One Collective Voice

Mark Poepsel, President, SIUE Faculty Association

SIUE Safe Zone

Katie Stuart, Representative, 112th District, Illinois General Assembly

Erin Vigneau-Dimick, Executive Curator, SIUE University Museum

Maddie Walters, Student Body President, SIUE Student Government

Cory Willmott, Manager, SIUE Ethnology Museum Laboratory

Jade Woodard, President, SIUE Black Student Union

Julie Zimmermann, Chair, SIUE Anthropology Department