Who should replace Silent Sam at UNC?
A front-end loader hauled away the Silent Sam statue early Tuesday morning, after protesters brought it to the ground.
All that remains is the base for the Confederate monument, which was erected 105 years ago to honor alumni who fought in the Civil War.
The future of Silent Sam at UNC-Chapel Hill is unclear, but that’s not stopping people from suggesting potential replacements for the statue.
You’ll probably notice a sports theme: Former UNC basketball coach Dean Smith and player Michael Jordan were among the suggestions.
Silent Sam came down tonight in Chapel Hill. They should replace him with a statue of Michael Jordan. pic.twitter.com/E6xaQNI6mP
— Covfefe "No Collusion" Jones (@PromoteMyCause) August 21, 2018
I'll chip in for a Statue of Michael Jordan to replace Silent Sam.
— DHozerMD (@dlindgrenmd) August 21, 2018
Replace the Silent Sam statue with a Dean Smith “4 Corners” statue. pic.twitter.com/V5d8x8AMji
— Taylor Vippolis (@tvippolis) August 21, 2018
The University of North Carolina should punish the students who tore down the Silent Sam statue by making them chisel out the Dean Smith statue that absolutely needs to replace it.
— Mike Selinker (@mikeselinker) August 21, 2018
Others suggested UNC icons like Charlie Scott, who was the university’s first scholarship black athlete, and two-time Olympic gold medalist Mia Hamm.
Not all suggestions were sports related. Some pointed to comedian Lewis Black, and others suggested Hinton James, the first student to enroll at the university when it opened in 1795. (Legend says James walked by himself from his home in Wilmington to Chapel Hill.)
Replace Silent Sam with a statue of Hinton James. Shoot, put Dean Smith and Charles Scott standing shoulder to shoulder in McCorkle place.
— thong sandal shawty (@tdouble_u) August 21, 2018
This story was originally published August 21, 2018 at 2:44 PM with the headline "Who should replace Silent Sam at UNC?."