By Dayna Wilkerson
After George Floyd’s death, the racial justice demonstrations have caused some people to reignite the controversy surrounding the Market House in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
The Market House was where North Carolina ratified the United States Constitution and where colonizers sold Africans into slavery. The latter has been a problem for some Fayetteville residents.
After George Floyd died in police custody on May 25th, 2020, protesters demanded racial equality and the removal of Confederate statues and buildings. For the past few months in Fayetteville, protesters have demanded that the Market House be torn down, repurposed, or left alone. Some protestors may be on two sides.
Demetrius Haddock is a high school science teacher who is on the River Jordan Council of Fayetteville, North Carolina. He and his council sent the Fayetteville City Council a letter about ways to repurpose the Market House to become educational for Fayetteville’s citizens by showing different perspectives.
“There are those who will feel good, those who will feel bad, and those who will be indifferent.” Haddock said. “None of these groups, especially those who are indifferent, will learn much from tearing it down.”
Dr. Reginald Wilkerson is a North Carolina native who is a professor and historian at Clemson University. “As a historian I do believe there’s value to history but I also wrestle with the fact of you can’t hold onto history if it hurts.” Wilkerson said. “That creates a slippery slope.”
In an article written on the WRAL website, some protestors defended the Market Houses’ existence. One protestor expressed their desire to keep the Market House as it is, stating it is the heart of Fayetteville.
Currently, the Fayetteville City Council is still in talks with the River Jordan Council, while protests continue.
