Sunday, November 15, 2009
Marking a difficult anniversary
Luanne Rife
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From the RoundTable blog
In 2006, the General Assembly launched the Virginia Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission to mark the 150th year of Virginia's entry into the Civil War.
That commission has since placed the onus on localities to host and market events, beginning in 2011, that tell the story of a time that divided the nation and to this day still inflames passion and pain. In the Roanoke Valley, the Historical Society of Western Virginia has taken the lead role in organizing agencies to meet the commission's challenge.
Promotions like this cost money. To ease the financial burden, the state is offering grants, and the local organization is hoping to win $5,000 to launch a Web site to market activities in Southwestern Virginia.
The grant application is lacking an essential document -- a resolution from Roanoke City Council acknowledging and supporting the local committee. Council in a 3-3 split withheld support in a vote that surprised many, including Jeanne M. Bollendorf, the executive director of the historical society.
"I thought it would be kind of a formality," she said of her recent appearance before Roanoke City Council.
It did start out that way. Bollendorf was greeted with friendly banter by Mayor David Bowers. He asked whether a man he believes is an authority on the Civil War in the Roanoke Valley is involved.
Bollendorf said indeed he is and jokingly said, "We will not hold his feelings about President Lincoln against him. He is accepted on this committee."
That quip cost her Councilwoman Anita Price's vote.
"Certainly, for me, personally, it made me bristle, and I found it disconcerting," she said.
At least that's what she explained when I talked with her later about her vote. She asked nothing of Bollendorf during the meeting.
"I don't like to have public conversations up on the dais," Price said.
But that is exactly the place where council members should engage in conversations. Price, along with Councilmen Sherman Lea and Court Rosen, each had the opportunity to ask Bollendorf questions that might have given them information they lacked in reaching their conclusions.
Rosen explained in an e-mail that he, too, was troubled by the Lincoln remark, but even more, he was concerned that support now would obligate the city financially.
When asked during the meeting if she was seeking city funding, Bollendorf replied, "not at this time."
"This caught my attention, and my thinking was that I didn't want to put the city in a position where, in a year, there did end up being a request for money," he said. "As you know, the next fiscal year is likely to be worse than the current, and I think it's important with all of our current decisions to be mindful of this reality. "
Lea explained his reasoning was strictly financial and a way to discourage the historical society and any other group from standing in line waiting for city funding when there just isn't any to be had.
"We've got to get ready for the upcoming budget session. I don't want to leave any pretext of taking a position ... of not giving people or organizations any illusions they can come to us," Lea said. But by not saying this to Bollendorf, neither she nor any other group could understand this was his position.
Had any of the dissenting council members asked questions, they might have voted differently.
Price might have learned that the Harrison Museum is a member of the local commission and that no one is planning a celebration.
The marking of Virginia's involvement in the Civil War is being handled with the same respect the Jamestown commemoration commission offered Native Americans.
Time ticks off anniversaries of events, even those that are cause for cringing. Jamestown and the Civil War both belong to Virginia's history, and it is better to confront and examine history than to shrink from its telling. Those who think this is an opportunity to order a new Confederate battle flag for their pickup are terribly mistaken.
As Bollendorf explained, the state commission was very concerned that the 150year observance not be a celebration, rather a commemoration.
"It's not a chance for opportunists to have a political platform," she said.
If Lea and Rosen had pressed her on financing, they would have discovered that by denying their endorsement, they increased the likelihood the state grant will be denied and that Bollendorf and all the other involved agencies will end up asking for city dollars.
By not asking questions to settle their concerns, council members cast uninformed votes. They really should have asked.
Traud is a member of The Roanoke Times editorial board.
