SARASOTA – A proposed lynching memorial has left some in Sarasota wondering if bringing up a dark racial history would do more harm than good.
“This is like a stick of dynamite waiting for somebody to put a match to it,” said Sarasota’s Living Hope Worship Center Pastor, Ruby Robinson.
At Mondays Sarasota City Commission meeting, Pastor Ruby Robinson urged city commissioners to find a more positive way to educate and commemorate Black history.
The proposed memorial marker would shed light on the at least six men who were victims of lynching in Manatee County. (Sarasota County was a part of Manatee until 1921.)
“History is ugly, and painful, but we can’t turn our back on it, how will we learn?,” said Director of Newtown Alive and President – CEO of the Sarasota African American Cultural Coalition, Vickie Oldham.
Oldham, says we should learn from history to not repeat the mistakes of the past.
“Racial terror is continuing to happen, because we haven’t talked about it enough, and so we see what has happened with these killings of black men by police officers. I think it’s time that we share more history about racial terror and its affects,” said Oldham.
Newtown Nation President, Valerie Buchand says the decision should come down to the people of Newtown.
“All we ask is that you involve the community, I’m not the community, the people that live, that pay taxes, that ride these roads every day, live in these houses, they’re the community,” said President of Newtown Nation, Valerie Buchand.
Oldham says its a dark history, but a reminder we all need.
“We’ve got to face it, in order to solve the problems that our community faces and America faces,” said Oldham.
