I never imagined in my whole life; that I Gregory Newson who came from a very dark past would be asked to join something especially important in changing the course of American education.
A retired judge and now a South Carolina lobbyist has asked me to be a part of helping to get a bill past; ” below is presentation text about the bill proposal;
A BILL- TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, TO PROVIDE FOR AN AFRICAN AMERICAN CONFEDERATE VETERANS MONUMENT; TO ESTABLISH A DEADLINE FOR THE SUBMISSION OF A PROPOSED DESIGN AND LOCATION OF THE MONUMENT, AND TO PROVIDE FOR THE DISSOLUTION OF THE COMMISSION.
Whereas, the South Carolina General Assembly finds that the contributions made by African Americans in service to the State of South Carolina during the War Between the States are not reflected in the South Carolina Social Studies Academic Standards, curriculums of local educational agencies, post educational agencies, and historical institutions and agencies, and while there is representation of those African Americans from South Carolina who took up arms for the Union, there is nothing to show the contributions, sacrifices, and honor of their Confederate counterparts; and…
Whereas, it is reflected in our state records that in the 1920s, hundreds of still-living African American Confederate pensioners drew pensions in relation to their service to our State, but their contributions and service are not included in the current academic standards; and…
Whereas, we find the exclusion of African American Confederate soldiers in the current academic standards to be completely unacceptable, that this type of manipulation and exclusion of facts in historic record and representation creates a distorted perspective of our State and national history, and to exclude, neglect, or otherwise disregard the contributions of African American Confederate soldiers is a gross disrespect to their service and memory; and…
Whereas, all people should know of, and remember, African American Confederate soldiers who served South Carolina and the United States during the War Between the States and others, and it is in fact vital to educate our citizens on their stories during the war and afterwards; and
Whereas, it is the policy of the State of South Carolina that the history of the African American Confederate soldiers, the depth of their impact in our society, and the triumphs of African American Confederate soldiers and their significant contributions to the development of this State and our nation is the proper concern of all people, particularly students enrolled in the schools of the State of South Carolina;
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