The Mythology of Monuments | UNUM Short

During a 1985 interview, Ken Burns asked James Baldwin what the Statue of Liberty meant to him. In this UNUM Short, released amid debate over the removal of Confederate monuments, Baldwin’s powerful words resonate as we consider why, and for whom, our monuments have been built.

Students will reflect on how monuments in the United States are meant to represent some of our highest principles and ideals, but at the same time present a false representation of the true lived experience of individuals in the United States. Students will contemplate what liberty means to them and how liberty looks different for different people, particularly historically oppressed groups. Students will also discuss if it is possible for monuments to not represent mythology, but if they can indeed represent fact and what that type of monument might look like.