"Monuments Matter" Sen. Margie Bright Matthews on the Robert Smalls Monument Groundbreaking

Added: 2026-05-16

[00:00:00]Monuments matters, your donations will matter. They tell us who we value, they tell us whose story deserve to be remembered, and they tell future generations what kind of courage and leadership we choose to honor.

[00:00:15]For far too long, the contributions of black South Carolinians were overlooked, minimized, or left out entirely from the public spaces of power in this state.

[00:00:25]But not today.

[00:00:26]Today, we take another step toward correcting that history.

[00:00:30]And let me be clear, this monument is not just for black South Carolinians.

[00:00:37]This monument is for all of South Carolinians.

[00:00:41]Because Robert Smalls represents the best of this state. Courage, patriotism, intelligence, perseverance, and faith in democracy, even when democracy did not fully believe in him. I believe that a lot of the gentlemen, and mostly women, have those qualities. And that's why South Carolina continues to thrive.

[00:01:05]At a time when our nation often feels divided, the life of Robert Smalls reminds us I knew that would get a um Truth will set you free. Um And at a time when our nation often feels divided, the life of Robert Smalls reminds us that real leadership is not about fear.

[00:01:29]It is about courage.