Stephanie Duarte
Assistant Editor
Approximately 50 students and faculty squeezed into the West Dining Room Thursday, Oct. 21 for Assistant Professor of Public Administration Matthew Witt’s presentation, “Ground Zero Democracy: Race, Allegory and the Capitol Mall.”
The talk focused on how Americans deal with racism and addressed Witt’s preliminary plans for new monument he hopes to erect in the Capitol Mall.
Keisha Bentley, cross-cultural programs director for the Institute of Multicultural Research and Campus Diversity, described his talk as “uncut, uncensored and unplugged.”
This description proved true, for although Witt read much of his lecture from notes, he read with passion and captivated the audience with his views on racism, ideas for the future and rhythm of speech, which included a slight theatrical flare.
Witt said that race hatred is the current problem plaguing the American people, not the racial injustices of the past.
“Being a white man, I feel the importance of penetrating the illusions of our xenophobic traditions,” Witt said. “We have to see through the illusions. Racism is entirely socially constructed.”
He said he felt that a monument representing the reconciliation of races is clearly missing from the Capitol Mall.
“He said what nobody else wants to say,” said Rasheed Ivey, a senior psychology major.
Part of the idea and construction of the proposed monument is based on Witt’s analysis regarding the physical location of the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials, particularly the way each monument gazes across Capitol Hill.
Because of the location of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., the building surrounding Lincoln’s statue often casts a shadow during most hours of the day. Lincoln gazes down and looks to the floor of the Washington Monument.
Jefferson’s Memorial, in contrast, is almost always sun-lit. Witt regarded Jefferson as “the American sphinx.”
His gaze grazes over the Capitol Mall and looks directly into the White House.
“Jefferson is remembered as a great man, a man of reason,” Witt said.
“But like all humans, he was not without his errors. He denounced the institution of slavery and yet retained slaves himself.”
The fact that Jefferson’s sight line crosses Lincoln’s gaze over the Capitol Mall is not a coincidence. Witt believes that their eyes need to meet at a point of reconciliation.
The proposed monument for the Capitol Mall was also partly inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.’s statement, “The arc of history bends toward justice.”
The monument is a means to intercept the gazes of both the Jefferson and Lincoln memorials and will show five of the populated continents and how America is made up of all five of these continents.
The surrounding area would be used as an amphitheater for various speakers and presentations.
“You’ll notice that there are cracks between each of the continents,” Witt said. “These cracks represent the fact that although we may bend toward justice, we are not without our breaks. Still, we continue to bend.”
Witt said that our capitol should be a representation of what it means to be American. The factor of forgiveness in reconciling with our past is missing, he said.
“Being enthralled with our nation is hard to those who are discriminated against,” Witt said.
“The ideas of grief, hope and reconciliation need to be evident at our Capitol Mall.”
The drawings of the preliminary monument are based on his own ideas and were drawn by Witt’s father and architect.
Witt said that the monument was only a preliminary idea and has a long way to go until completion. However, he hopes that it will gesture to every monument and “beckon [people] to contemplate hope and reconciliation.”
This is the second lecture Witt has given about his idea for a monument on the Capitol Mall. The first talk was before a smaller audience at the Public Administration Theory Network Conference of 2004 in Omaha, Neb.
Witt has no scheduled lectures about this subject currently, but is more than willing to do so pending the opportunity.
He said he feels that gaining public support is the first step to making the project a success.
“It’s exciting to see it presented to our community and especially to get a response from the community about the project,” said Daniel Loera, multi-cultural affairs director. “It’s important that the community sees that there is a need for reconciliation and healing.”
Stephanie Duarte can be reached at duartes@ulv.edu.
