North Carolina

A Confederate statue in North Carolina praises ‘faithful slaves.’ Some citizens want it gone

Published

2 years ago

May 25, 2024

A Confederate statue in North Carolina praises ‘faithful slaves.’ Some citizens want it gone

A Confederate monument at a North Carolina county courthouse is at the center of a lawsuit for what some say explicitly supports slavery.

And the words at the heart of contention are: “In appreciation of our faithful slaves.”

That quote has stirred a long battle in Tyrrell County, North Carolina. Several Black residents said in a recent federal lawsuit against the Tyrrell County Board of Commissioners that the words endorse slavery and violate the Equal Protection Clause in the Fourteenth Amendment.

History and art experts told USA TODAY the monument’s placement at the county’s courthouse sends a troubling message to Black residents.

“This civic monument is appallingly explicit in its pro-slavery message, communicating it not only in text but its proximity to a legal institution — suggesting that the destructive ‘Lost Cause’ narrative is not merely a myth but a lawful truth,” Jessica Baran, art history doctoral candidate at Washington University in St. Louis, wrote in an email.

The “Lost Cause” narrative refers in general to attempts to present the Civil War from the perspective of Confederates and in the best possible terms, according to the Encyclopedia Virginia. Developed by white Southerners, many of them former Confederate generals, the Lost Cause created and romanticized the “Old South” and the Confederate war effort, often distorting history in the process, according to the encyclopedia.

The nearly 23-foot-tall monument next to the Tyrrell County Courthouse is of a common Confederate soldier with a written tribute to “the Confederate cause.” It also contains a bust of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, along with the words “in appreciation of our faithful slaves” on a separate panel, according to the University of North Carolina library.

Confederate Army Lt. Col. William F. Beasley gifted the county the monument in 1902. The courthouse opened in 1903, according to state records.

Concerned Citizens of Tyrrell County, the group suing the county commissioners to remove the monument, said in the lawsuit that the structure is likely the only one in the country at a courthouse that “expresses a racial discriminatory message.” The citizens group has rallied and spoken at county commissioner meetings to remove the structure with no luck, at times facing what they claim is racial intimidation by other residents.

“It’s really a racially hostile environment for them at this point in the county because they’re well known for having spoken out against this statute,” said Jaelyn Miller, attorney for Concerned Citizens of Tyrrell County. “It’s made some folks fearful to continue doing rallies and demonstrations because of that.”

Neither of the five Tyrell County Board of Commissioners responded to USA TODAY’s request for comment. According to UNC, county manager and attorney David Clegg and board chair Nathan “Tommy” Everett said state law prevents the statue’s removal, but Miller said the 2015 law only applies to structures on state-owned property.

Current Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat who has been governor since 2017, supports removals.

It’s the latest Confederate monument eyed for removal among hundreds after racial unrest across the nation. A white man killed nine Black worshippers in 2015 at a Charleston, South Carolina, church; white nationalists rallied in 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia, leaving one woman dead; and hundreds protested George Floyd’s death in 2020, demanding an end to systemic racism.

“It’s not so much these monuments have been erased, it’s that they are being moved out of these conspicuous public spaces,” said W. Fitzhugh Brundage, a history professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

University of Alabama history professor Hilary Green, who couldn’t immediately be reached for comment, has tracked Confederate monument removals before and after the racist Charleston church shooting. The map was last updated in October 2023. She told the University of Alabama in 2020 that removals are the beginning of conversations about underlying issues and tensions in communities.

Special case because of location near courthouse

The Confederate monument is a special case, Brundage said, because of its inscription and location. He said white elites dedicated the monuments to each other, honoring their fights for the Confederacy. But the Tyrrell County monument doesn’t separate the army from slavery.

Other monuments across the country spoke about states’ rights.

“It is unusual to have a Confederate monument of any kind, but certainly not one in front of the courthouse that specifically links the commemoration of the Confederacy with the commemoration of the service of ‘faithful slaves,’” Brundage said. “It is an exceptional monument to make the linkage between the Confederacy and slavery as it does.”

Fight for the monument’s removal has directly affected some Black residents. Miller said Adriana Blakeman and Sherryreed Robinson, who are Black, faced armed supporters and were driven off the side of roads for their activism, which they alleged in the lawsuit. Miller said it was the latest intimidation tactics they faced as they’ve pursued the statue’s removal.

“That’s the sort of like double standard that they’re having to live through and threats to their physical safety,” Miller said.

Brundage said the lawsuit – and any future ones across the country – will be a spectacle with efforts picking up across the country to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. He’s curious on how the national conversation will spill into the courts on cases filed under the Fourteenth Amendment.

“I’m wondering whether that backlash will, in any way, impact the ability of activists to appeal to a language of inclusion as grounds for the removal of these monuments,” he said. “There just seems to be less, at least in the political discourse, sympathy or less tolerance for the language of inclusion.”

Contact reporter Krystal Nurse at knurse@USATODAY.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, @KrystalRNurse.

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North Carolina

Duarte girl kidnapped in 2020 at 5 years old found safe in North Carolina

Published

4 hours ago

March 11, 2026

Press Room

Duarte girl kidnapped in 2020 at 5 years old found safe in North Carolina

A girl who was kidnapped from Duarte in 2020 when she was just 5 years old has been found safe in North Carolina.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office said it found Karen Rojas, who is now 11, on Tuesday. She was enrolled in school under an alias, according to investigators.

Authorities said she was kidnapped on June 2, 2020.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services notified Washington County law enforcement that she may be in the state.

They coordinated with several agencies, located the girl and took her into protective custody.

“These are very rare occurrences to have such a positive outcome on such an old case as this, but it reminds us that through hard work, and dedication, and cooperation, stories with positive outcomes like these can happen,” the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said in a social media post.

Due to the age of the child, further information was not immediately available.

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North Carolina

These 4 Western NC towns are among WorldAtlas favorites for 2026

Published

16 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

These 4 Western NC towns are among WorldAtlas favorites for 2026

A new list from WorldAtlas named the publication’s top 10 favorite North Carolina towns of 2026, including several locations located in Western North Carolina.

Founded in 1994 by cartographer John Moen and his wife, Chris Woolwine-Moen, WorldAtlas publishes educational materials and articles on geography, sociology, demography, environment, economics, politics, and travel.

Previous Citizen Times articles have covered numerous mentions of Western North Carolina from WorldAtlas, including “idyllic” and “unpretentious” towns, scenic drives, a favorite downtown area, and more. In the new list, published March 9, WorldAtlas writers chose their all-time favorite North Carolina towns ― almost half of which were located in the western region of the state.

Here’s what WorldAtlas had to say about mountain North Carolina towns, plus the full list and more.

What to do in Banner Elk, N.C.

WorldAtlas noted the range of activities offered in Banner Elk throughout the year. The town sits in the Blue Ridge Mountains between the Sugar Mountain and Beech Mountain ski resorts. Writers highlighted the following locations and activities in Banner Elk:

Wildcat Lake, which has a lifeguarded white-sand beach and is used for swimming, non-motorized boating and fishing for largemouth bass, trout, and bluegill
Grandfather Mountain Nature Museum, a museum located at Grandfather Mountain
The Mile High Swinging Bridge, the highest suspension footbridge in the United States, which visitors can cross on foot

What to do in Blowing Rock, N.C.

Also included on the WorldAtlas list, Blowing Rock takes its name from a rock formation where the wind appears to blow upward. The list highlighted the following locations and activities in Blowing Rock:

The town’s namesake, “Blowing Rock,” is a rock formation known for views of Johns River Gorge and the surrounding forest
Fishing, spelunking and rock climbing opportunities in the area
Moses H. Cone Memorial Park, also known locally as “Cone Park,” which has hiking trails and is located on the Blue Ridge Parkway
Memorial Park on Main Street, where town events and concerts often take place

What to do in Brevard, N.C.

Brevard, also known as the “Land of Waterfalls,” is home to more than 200 waterfalls located across Transylvania County. WorldAtlas highlighted the following locations and activities in Brevard:

Museums, trails, rock climbing and the surrounding area’s many waterfalls
Guided Jeep and hiking tours to view waterfalls throughout Transylvania County
Veterans History Museum of the Carolinas, a museum displaying artifacts from U.S. military conflicts
Transylvania Heritage Museum, a museum focused on local history and genealogy

What to do in Hot Springs, N.C.

Hot Springs’ name comes from the natural springs that attract visitors from across the state and region. The springs are commonly visited by hikers seeking relief after traveling along the Appalachian Trail, which runs through the town. WorldAtlas highlighted the following activities and events:

Kayaking on the French Broad River
Trailfest, a celebration of hiking typically held in April
French Broad River Festival, a celebration of the French Broad River held each year on the first weekend of May
White-water rafting and ziplining opportunities in the area
Fishing, skiing, sport shooting, golf, disc golf, biking and horseback riding opportunities throughout the area
A range of accommodations including campgrounds, privately owned cabins, apartments, suites and cottages, with options from basic to luxury experiences

WorldAtlas’s best towns in North Carolina

The full list of WorldAtlas’s favorite North Carolina towns of 2026 included:

Banner Elk
Beaufort
Blowing Rock
Brevard
Davidson
Edenton
Hot Springs
Seagrove
Manteo
Wrightsville Beach

Iris Seaton is the trending news reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at iseaton@citizentimes.com.

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North Carolina

‘It was dire’: NC State professor returns from Qatar after being trapped during Iran war

Published

1 day ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

‘It was dire’: NC State professor returns from Qatar after being trapped during Iran war

An North Carolina State University professor is back home Monday night after he was trapped in the Middle East as war with Iran broke out.

Rich Spontak was stuck in Qatar while traveling from Bangkok to Spain and was forced to stay in the country for about a week. Several travelers were trapped for days in the Middle East after Iran’s
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several defense leaders were
killed in joint strikes by the United States and Israel.

Spontak, like many travelers, found himself stranded in the Middle East after the initial attacks, which quickly entangled more surrounding countries, including Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, where seven U.S. service members were killed in retaliatory attacks from Iran.

Spontak said there were times he thought he wouldn’t make it out.

“I would just keep looking out and looking for the missiles,” Spontak said. “Some people that I met along the way were hit by shrapnel from the missles. It was dire.”

Airspace over Iran, Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait and Syria remained closed, according to flight-tracking service Flightradar24. Azerbaijan also shut the southern sector of its airspace on Thursday after accusing Iran of a drone attack that injured four civilians and damaged an airport building.

Lilia Austin, a Chapel Hill woman who was part of a group of 100 women who went to Israel for a trip the day before Khamenei was killed, also returned home on Sunday after she left Israel through Egypt.

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