WTC monument should honor courage, not race
Staff Editorial
The Daily University Star
SAN MARCOS, Texas
Diversity is a wonderful thing. It enriches our society and lends depth to our culture as a nation. Like all good things though, it can be taken to extremes and lose its meaning.
Such is the case with the proposed memorial statue for the New York firefighters killed in the Sept. 11 attack.
The statue, which is loosely based on the now famous photograph of the firefighters hoisting the flag over the rubble of Ground Zero, features one white, one black and one Hispanic firefighter.
This is contrast to the photo where all three of the firefighters were white.
It could be argued that the symbolic nature of the statue outweighs the historical significance, but the enumeration of only three races when people of many other races not represented died can be seen as somewhat insulting. In order for it to be truly representative, all other races must be displayed. And there lies the problem.
It is also insulting to the three firefighters who raised the flag over the ruins. Should their place in history be denied simply because they happen to be white?
Tragedy knows no race or color and death visits everyone equally, especially on that day. While the intentions of the designer were good, the statue ceases to be a memorial and becomes a monument to political correctness.
What becomes lost in all of this is white, black, Hispanic and Asian people didn't die simply as members of their race. They died as Americans who selflessly gave their lives for their fellow man and woman. This tragedy never needed to be about race.
What is needed is a monument that takes courage and dedication into account. Let us remember what those brave men and women did, not what color that they happened to be.
This editorial first appeared in Southwest Texas State University's newspaper, The Daily University Star on Jan. 17, and is reprinted here courtesy of U-WIRE.
The views expressed in this article represent those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
All Viewpoint Stories for Tuesday, January 22, 2002
