Tar Heel Confederates

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    Tar Heel Confederates

    A judge has voided the #SilentSham payoff of $2.5 million from the UNC Board of Governors to the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV). In a hearing held earlier today, Judge Baddour ruled that the SCV did not have standing to bring a lawsuit against the University after its Silent Sam statue was removed by protestors and university supporters. Funding for this hate-filled group came at the expense of two university centers: the Center on Poverty and Workforce Development and the Center for Civil Rights. While the #SilentSham decision has been vacated and the money has to be returned, UNC has an opportunity here to make up for its shameful $2.5M donation to a hate group by returning that money to the two institutions that work on behalf of the needs of Black people and vulnerable communities.

    Here is the Petition:
     
    ​We were deeply dismayed that the Board of Governors for the University of North Carolina System ​gave the ​Sons of Confederate Veterans a $2.5 million ​payout for keeping possession of the “Silent Sam” Confederate statue.​​ ​The #SilentSham​ came at the expense of ​the Center on Poverty and Workforce Development and the Center for Civil Rights. ​The University’s mission is “to serve as a center for research, scholarship, and creativity and to teach a diverse community of undergraduate, graduate and professional students to become the next generation of leaders.” The stated mission of the Sons of Confederate Veterans is, “committing to the vindication of the Civil War” which seems to be in direct contrast with that of the University, given this organization’s investment in a return to slavery. ​With the recent vacation by the NC court system for the SCV to return the #SilentSham funds, we are calling on the Board of Governors to make this right by allocating the soon-to-be returned $2.5 million funds to ​the two institutions that once served Black and people and the neighboring North Carolina community.