Wendell G. Gilliard District No. 111 ~ Charleston County Post Office Box 31641 Charleston, SC 29417 328-B Blatt Building Columbia, SC 29201 Tel. (803) 212-6793 Committee: ‘Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs, 3 VC Representatives State of South Carolina FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Sune 9, 2020 CONTACT: Rep. Wendell Gilliard 843-209-3123 The John C. Calhoun statue should be brought down and put in a museum. By doing this, his story will continue and the history of my ancestors will be remembered as well and it will create a level playing field. This statue in Marion Square is raised high and sits next to a powerful Jewish memorial and just blocks from Mother Emanuel AME Church where that horrible tragedy occurred five years ago. Whether the statue pre-dates the Civil War should not matter! What should matter is the fact that Calhoun was the owner of enslaved people and he saw my ancestors as property. What you never hear historians discuss are the other things that took place with those enslaved such as murder, rape, and the separation of families. For those that say that this will erase history, I affirm that one can never erase centuries of horrific acts. Therefore, when we reconvene once again, I plan to take this matter before my colleagues in the South Carolina House of Representatives!