"Serra was not simply a man of his times. In working with Native Americans, he was a man ahead of his times who made great sacrifices to defend and serve the indigenous population and work against an oppression that extends far beyond the mission era.”
“And if that is not enough to legitimate a public statue in the state that he did so much to create, then virtually every historical figure from our nation’s past will have to be removed for their failings measured in the light of today’s standards,” the statement concluded.
Unfortunately, that is exactly what is happening across our nation, today. The good our historical figures did in their lifetimes, and the benefits they achieved for others is being overlooked with the spotlight now being focused solely on their flaws. No allowances are being made for human imperfection. It seems only their negatives matter today, and their positives are being totally disregarded.
Not only is this unfair, it also presents a skewed picture of their overall humanity. It robs future generations of the totality of knowledge about these figures, and why it was and still is important to honor, or at least respect them. Statues of them weren’t erected merely because they looked good. They were so honored because, without their contributions, we as a nation and as a society would be much poorer, and probably much less free. They made a significant difference for the better in our history, and that’s worth celebrating.
The movement to destroy our historical monuments is the result of a myopic view of our history that selects only that which these folks desire to see, and ignores the overall picture.
We as a people may regret, in the future, that we are allowing this to happen. It shows a blatant disrespect for our better values, and sends the mistaken message that only human perfection is acceptable in our imperfect world. It’s a naive expectation that benefits no one.
