The front-page article on protests around the statue of Chief Justice Melville Fuller caught my interest (“Maine Supreme Court questions Melville Fuller statue outside Kennebec courthouse,” Aug. 12). I looked him up to find that he presided over the Supreme Court for over 20 years. Educated at Bowdoin, he later became a well respected lawyer in Chicago. A person could delve into his history in much more detail finding both decisions with which they agree and disagree. Chief Justice Fuller’s record on race is not an impressive one, but many would agree on his positions on other issues.

Because of the decision in Plessy v. Ferguson that we know did not result in any kind of equality, I can understand why the placement of his statue in a public spot with no context might be offensive to anyone whose history has been affected by the long years of segregation. Yet, to erase our history is a dangerous precedent.

I would like to see Melville Fuller’s statue placed either in the Maine State Museum, or perhaps in the Bowdoin College museum where it should stand along with his story. What was his background? What decisions did he participate in? And of course, as we look back, what have been the consequences of those decisions?

We must learn from our past and not become blind to it.

Diane Clay

Litchfield

« Previous

Take responsibility and wear a mask

Next »

Walker right person for state senate