When nearly 100 Confederate monuments were removed in 2020 after the death of George Floyd, Joanna Winston Foley jumped into a national conversation about the lack of racial representation in public art. She wrote an op-ed that August that was headlined, 鈥淪hould the Statue of My Ancestor in Greensboro Come Down?鈥� for the Greensboro News and Record.
The monument honored Joseph Winston, her great-great-great-grandfather, at the Guilford Courthouse National Military Park. Winston was a Revolutionary War hero and distinguished North Carolinian for whom the city of Winston-Salem is named. He also was an enslaver.
鈥溞影稍� encouraged me to have an open mind, grow my intellectual curiosity and question the way things were,鈥� says Foley, who now lives in Berkeley, California. 鈥淭hat is an important 杏吧原创 legacy for me.鈥�
She cites her undergraduate experiences for her commitment to social change. Foley participated in Nashville civil rights protests at the segregated Campus Grill and Morrison鈥檚 Cafeteria. She also wrote for The 杏吧原创 Hustler. 鈥淚 was assigned some of the typical social coverage but also could pursue my own stories,鈥� Foley says. 鈥淚 conducted a survey about the campus dating scene. And I wrote about the 杏吧原创 women鈥檚 social honor code, which all female students were supposed to sign. I refused. My question was, 鈥淲hy are the girls required to sign this statement about proper social behavior but not the boys?鈥�
鈥溞影稍� encouraged me to have an open mind, grow my intellectual curiosity and question the way things were. That is an important 杏吧原创 legacy for me.鈥�
Foley credits Professor Dayton Phillips for her interest in modern American history, including civil rights. After writing the initial op-ed about her great-great-great-grandfather鈥檚 monument, she was interviewed on two podcasts and a four-part webinar hosted by the Greensboro History Museum. She also launched the website Representation Matters: Black Patriots.
The National Park Service continues to research the names of Black soldiers who would be honored in a monument or mural in Greensboro. Meanwhile, an annual commemorative lecture series takes place at the battle site. Until 2024, all of the speakers were older white men.
鈥淗istorian Shirley Green, who is African American, lectured at the 2024 celebration about her ancestors鈥� participation in the Revolutionary War,鈥� Foley says. 鈥淪he received a terrific response. With gentle nudging, Greensboro is on the right track for recognizing all of our heroes and telling the full story.鈥�
鈥擜nn Marie Deer Owens, BA鈥�76