As a country, our history is deeply rooted in racism. This provides us with art, such as monuments, that celebrate those in history that played a huge role in that racism. The Confederacy is not a part of southern heritage, though I do believe it is a huge part of our history and should be treated as such: just history. History repeats itself all the time. The evil within our country never seems to change, it just gets better at masking itself (i.e. calling it “heritage” instead of “history”). I would like to say that we should remove these monuments completely, but that would keep from us learning about where we came from and how we need to improve. I would also like to say that we should move them to a “Learn From This” museum, but showing the evil might entice more evil. I do not have a clear and concise solution for this issue. I think each side has a downside, but I definitely do believe that something should be done and we should still be able to learn the full truth about our history.
As for making art as an outsider, I am both an “insider” and “outsider”. As a mix of white and Latina, I find this to be a tricky subject. I could write about what it is like to be both, but I am not sure I can write about being one or the other. I grew up heavily immersed in my Hispanic culture, so maybe I have a little more understanding of that side of myself.
I do know that I do not think it is right to create art when you have not experienced what marginalized groups have. It feels as if you are profiting off of the pain they have faced for years. Even if you were to hear about the pain, you will never truly understand all of it. Instead, I would suggest supporting the artists that know what they are talking about. Raise their voices up and take a seat while they speak. It shows you are with them. It is an insanely respectful approach.