never forget, never remember

One thing that stands out in my memories from a trip to Europe in 1980 when I was 12 years old is the shell of a bombed out building-- I think in Munich-- with the words "Never Again" (in German) graffitied on the walls.

Photo: Kristen Zeis, published in The Virginian-Pilot, via AP, Portsmouth, VA, 10 June 2020

Being Germany, the rest of the city seemed sparking clean, but that building still stood and was apparently significant enough to be pointed out by our tour guide. I don't know any more details, but that image has rattled around in my brain for all of these decades.

So I think these statues should stand exactly like this. Permanently. As our own reminder never to forget and never to stop working on repairing our society's dark pasts and systemic racisms. #BlackLivesMatter