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the discussion of jefferson’s birthday as a city holiday was a hot one at monday’s charlottesville city council meeting. i just arrived at the county BOS meeting to a discussion already in progress.
i don’t follow the county board of supervisors very closely, so i’m not sure why there are so many old white guys here with big orange stickers that say GUNS SAVE LIVES
the first speaker at public comment says he feels like he is in the twilight zone hearing local government talk about eliminating jefferson’s birthday as a paid holiday. he says it’s a “significant decision” with “ramifications.”
unless you’re a city or county government employee, i don’t see how it affects you at all? it certainly won’t bother thomas jefferson, who is very dead.
he’s talking about how monday night’s charlottesville city council meeting went (he wasn’t there, for the record) and says the BOS should consider this issue another time at the risk of being associated with mayor walker’s resolution.
next speaker is the president of the virginia citizens defense league, a gun rights organization, speaking in opposition to the resolution to support the governor’s special session on gun violence, a response to the recent mass shooting in virginia beach.
next speaker, david garth, says he speaks in favor of “more sensible” gun regulation. “guns have been a part of american history for hundreds of years.”
guns are not the problem, he says, the problem is the people who have them.
guns are not the problem, he says, the problem is the people who have them.
very confused by all these people saying gun control is “just political.” as if there are non political policies enacted by politicians?
this agenda is endless. i have an appointment at 4pm and will probably miss the report on canceling a dead slave owner’s birthday 😭
correction, it was on the consent agenda as i originally thought! i was just confused by the fact that the county board of supervisors posts their agenda items out of order for reasons i cannot begin to fathom.
the county successfully replaced thomas jefferson’s birthday with a floating holiday. (also, the image below is all that’s available on the agenda details... where are the other two pages?) 
the executive summary of this agenda item lists it as a “customer service issue.” they note that county schools & other local governments do not close & cease to provide services on this day in april. it’s confusing for people!
i think that framing is reasonable & probably part of why the county was able to make the change pretty painlessly. but i’m deeply appreciative of mayor walker framing this the way she did on monday night.
people spend a lot of time shouting about how we’re ERASING HISTORY!!!! when we tear down monuments to chattel slavery and refuse to honor those who fought for genocide, but what about the history that truly has been intentionally erased from public view?
black history isn’t a standalone module, an add-on, an extra, some separate set of facts. treating it as such is a failure not only of equity & inclusion, but of accuracy and reason.
remembering and honoring freedom and liberation day on march 3, the day emancipation came to the charlottesville area, is a holiday we should all be proud of.
what we choose to publicly celebrate doesn’t change history, it doesn’t change what is taught in schools or what information is available in books and museums. but it sends a strong message about what we value.
