letter to Mayor John Tecklenburg of Charleston SC

feature image credit: Brad Nettles / bnettles@postandcourier.com

Dear Mayor Tecklenburg,

On behalf of conNECKtedTOO—> TINYisPOWERFUL, I need to congratulate you and your administration for choosing to remove the monument to JC Calhoun on Marion Square.
I also would like to remind you that the Art presentation you inaugurated at the City Gallery at Waterfront Park in July 2017, titled conNECKted: Imaginings for Truth and Reconciliation, contained a piece of sculpture celebrating a very much ignored African-American hero of Charleston’s history, Robert Smalls, and launching a petition for the removal of Calhoun unless a monument of equal size be built for Mr Smalls! The petition was signed by more than 250 people. A copy of it is attached to the hard copy you will receive soon.
There may have been humor there, attempting to hide skepticism that anything would happen anyway. Well, the voice of the people has changed everything. The Charleston Rhizome Collective is proud to have been a small part in the historic process the city went through to reach its powerful decision.
Now, we want you to know that we would be interested in promoting and possibly designing a piece of art in celebration of Robert Smalls and the the African-American Liberation. Our collective has been and is more than ever fully dedicated to the end of oppression. As you know, we are a group of inter-generational, interracial artists, activists and educators, which received a major grant for working with TINY BUSINESS in Charleston two years ago.
We are still at it and we would consider our participation to be a continuation of our effort.
Our congratulations again and hoping you will see our offer favorably.
Yours, truly.

Jean-Marie Mauclet, for the Charleston Rhizome Collective / TINYisPOWERFUL