Caitlin Rivas Sullivan
MSLS, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Graduate Student
The nationwide Confederate monument "debate" has gained tremendous momentum over the last five years, with more and more cultural heritage institutions calling into question the existence of Lost Cause-era Confederate monuments on their premises. These conversations include a myriad of stakeholders: administration, students, minority groups, community members, facilities staff, faculty, direct descendants, and more. However, there is a silent stakeholder whose voices are not being amplified: Archivists. In my talk, I will present my study that explored five archivists’ experiences with Confederate monument contextualization, removal and/or relocation at the cultural heritage institutions where they work: the Maryland State Archives, Randolph College (Virginia), Duke University (North Carolina), the University of Texas at Austin, and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.