Sun-Times archive.
As the co-chairs of the Chicago Monument Project Advisory Committee recently wrote, it will be a difficult process for Chicagoans to reconsider the appropriateness of 41 monuments.
But what makes that process even harder is that the committee has not publicly described its specific concerns about each of these monuments.
There’s the 1887 “Standing Lincoln,” a portrayal of the rumpled, reflective president who signed the proclamation freeing African Americans from slavery. It’s widely considered an artistic masterpiece.
Also on the list is the 1891 statue of Ulysses S. Grant, showing the taciturn Illinoisan who served as commanding general in the war to free the enslaved people and who as president battled to ensure African Americans had the right to vote and serve in public office.
Wednesday February 3 Forthright Radio with Joy LaClaire 9am On the next Forthright Radio, host Joy LaClaire will speak with Thom Hartmann, who returns to
In
The Hidden History of American Oligarchy: Reclaiming Our Democracy from the Ruling Class, Thom Hartmann recounts three periods of increased hegemony of oligarchs in American society. He posits that with the inauguration of Joe Biden as president on Jan. 20, 2021, we citizens have work to do to reclaim our democracy from the control of wealthy Americans.
The history of increased influence of wealth in the United States is becoming well known. Stories about it appear frequently in newsletters, on radio and television, and in books and other publications. In this book, Hartmann adds a needed layer of historical context to the discussion.