RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – Newly released emails show that two top University of North Carolina leaders lamented their dilemma ahead of a large protest against a Confederate monument on campus.
The emails obtained through a public records request show the thinking of top University of North Carolina leaders on the eve of a protest at the Confederate statue known as “Silent Sam.” The Aug. 22 rally was not violent, but resulted in several arrests.
Protesters blocked traffic and marched to the residence of Margaret Spellings, the president of the UNC system.
The day before the rally, Spellings had exchanged emails with Carol Folt, chancellor of UNC-Chapel Hill, about the University of Texas decision to swiftly take down three Confederate statues.
Spellings wrote: “Texans are smarter.”
Folt then replied with a smiley face symbol.
