Statue Honoring 'Faithful Slaves' Faces Class-Action Lawsuit

Legal Challenge Against Confederate Monument in North Carolina

A federal lawsuit has been filed in Columbia, North Carolina, targeting a Confederate monument located outside a courthouse. The monument features an inscription that includes the phrase "IN APPRECIATION OF OUR FAITHFUL SLAVES." The lawsuit is seeking to have this specific part of the inscription either removed or covered up.

Sherryreed Robinson, one of the individuals involved in the lawsuit, shared her personal reaction to the inscription. She recalled how, as a child, she thought about the implication of being "faithful" as a slave and the potential consequences of not being so. As an adult, she found the words on a courthouse grounds troubling, questioning whether Black people could truly receive justice there.

Earlier this year, a federal judge allowed a portion of the lawsuit to proceed. However, Tyrrell County officials have resisted taking any action themselves, citing state monument protection laws that they claim prevent them from making changes to the monument.

This challenge occurs during a period when President Donald Trump and his administration have been working to restore Confederate names and monuments. This effort follows the removal or destruction of many such monuments during or in response to racial justice protests in 2020. In June, Trump pushed for the military to restore Confederate names that had been previously removed from military bases. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the reinstallation of a Confederate sculpture that had been taken down from Arlington National Cemetery.

The lawsuit in North Carolina was initiated last year by the Concerned Citizens of Tyrrell County, a group primarily composed of older Black residents. The filing argues that the "faithful slave" portion of the inscription constitutes racial discrimination in government speech, which the plaintiffs claim violates the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause. They are calling for the county to remove or cover the offensive message.

Tyrrell County officials attempted to have the lawsuit dismissed in 2024, arguing that county officials cannot alter the monument due to a state law that limits changes to "objects of remembrance" on state property. Their motion stated that the North Carolina Court of Appeals ruled that county commissioners are bound by this statute, and that those commissioners are not motivated by discriminatory intent. The motion further claimed that Tyrrell County should not be held liable for following state law.

The statue, one of many Confederate monuments erected during the Jim Crow era after the U.S. Civil War, was gifted to the county by the Tyrell Monument Association. Founded by former Confederate Army lieutenant colonel William Fessenden Beasley, the monument has stood on the courthouse lawn since 1902. It depicts a Confederate soldier standing on a base that includes a bust of General Robert E. Lee. Each side of the base has inscriptions, with one referencing "faithful slaves."

Mark Snell Brickhouse, whose great-great-grandfather's name is among those etched on the monument, visits the site and the family cemetery because it honors his family. However, he told the New York Times that he agrees the "faithful slave" portion should be covered. He expressed that while he loves the statue for honoring his family members, he understands how the words can be offensive to others. He believes the statue should remain as it reflects history, but the offensive words should be covered.

The Concerned Citizens of Tyrrell County previously tried to have the statue removed completely in the 1990s but have since shifted their focus to removing or covering the reference to slaves. Ian Mance, a lawyer with Emancipate North Carolina, noted that the statue outside the Tyrrell County Courthouse is the only known Confederate monument that directly endorses or shows appreciation for slavery. He emphasized that this monument is unique in its language of appreciation or endorsement of slavery, which affects families who have lived in the area since before the Civil War.

Mance clarified that the lawsuit is not seeking damages. Instead, it aims to address the issue of the inscription and its impact on the community.