I researched, reported, filmed, wrote, narrated and edited this short documentary for the Orlando Sentinel.
When he found out that a statue of confederate general Edmund Kirby Smith would be removed from National Statuary Hall in DC where it has represented Florida since 1922, Bob Grenier had an idea: the Smith statue should be brought to Tavares, Florida. Grenier is the curator of a museum in Tavares that displays historical artifacts from around Lake County and the state of Florida. When this plan was made apparent to the public, many in the Lake community were horrified, viewing the statue as a symbol of racial violence.
Lake residents used the public channels available to them to express their opposition to the acquisition of the statue, appealing to the county’s commission and holding a rally in downtown Tavares. For veteran Mae Hazelton, the bronze figure and the exclusionary process that may bring the statue to Tavares represent a reminder of Lake County’s brutally racist past. “My voice would not have been heard in 1922,” she said, “I would have died, been killed, rather than had my voice heard in 1922. But we fast forward to where we are now. And still, my voice was not heard in this community.”
Proponents of the statue, however, cite a concern for remembering history in their desire to see Grenier’s plan through. So in this video I took a look at the history of the Edmund Kirby Smith statue, the history of the courthouse building where it may soon be installed and the history of the statue’s path towards Lake County.
The Statue That Won’t Go Away
Roles: Director, Writer, Camera, Editor, Narrator
TAVARES, Florida, August 2019 — This short documentary piece, produced for the Orlando Sentinel, traces a local political struggle surrounding the placement of a statue depicting Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith. From 1922 until 2018, the statue sat in National Statuary Hall, where it represented the state of Florida. After a decision was made to remove the bronze-figure from D.C., Florida museum curator Bob Grenier had an idea: the Smith statue should be brought to Lake County’s taxpayer-supported historical museum. When Grenier’s plan was made apparent to the public, many in the Lake community were horrified, viewing the statue and the process used to acquire the monument as symbolic of the county’s violent, racist history.
Story Update: June 16, 2020 — Almost a year after voting to proceed with transferring the Edmund Kirby Smith statue to Tavares, Lake County commissioners retreated from their decision. The commission announced that they would ask the state to find a different, more appropriate place for the monument. As part of their efforts during the intervening year, local activists shared this video piece throughout the community and during meetings with Florida officials where, "the video started an honest discussion.”
”Beautifully done and important…Everything about it is spot on” -Gilbert King, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Devil in the Grove and Beneath A Ruthless Sun, which both chronicle Lake County’s racist history
This piece was selected as one of ten final projects by the NPR Kroc Fellowship Committee.