“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
The aphorism gets thrown around so much that it is almost cliché, yet it rings particularly true when most of us are confronted with unpleasant aspects of our collective history. But as a long-neglected Denton County African-American cemetery seems to demonstrate, coming together to memorialize a difficult past can also make our present community all the stronger.
Read MoreWhat We Did is our weekly roundup of a few of the best photos that have been tagged with #WDDI in the past week on Instagram.
Below are 18 photos from the past seven days of life in Denton, TX. Featuring the likes of 35 Denton, confederate statue protests, and some beautiful sunsets.
We're taking Spring Break off this week, but in the time off, we'll be resharing some of our favorite posts on social media. If you're not the Facebook or Twitter type, we've got a list of a few of them below in case you've missed them in the past:
That's plenty of WDDI-reading content to keep you busy this Spring Break if you aren't at the beach, mountains, or taking in some "culture" at SXSW.
If you'd like to be included in What We Did, tag your images with #WDDI on Instagram, and check back here next Monday. Search the hashtag #WDDI and check out all of the other awesome photos that we were unable to include this week. Click the images below to be led back to the photographer's Instagram page. Where you can follow them and have a new social media buddy.
Got a question about What We Did? Send it to will@wedentondoit.com.
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Photo from Scott Campbell.
Downtown Denton awoke to find the familiar and arguably infamous Confederate soldier monument vandalized this morning. The statue in question sits on an arch with non-working segregated water fountains at the base. As of early this morning, it has the words, "THIS IS RACIST" written in red spray painted capital letters across the top of the arch. The statue has been the subject of much debate recently, with many calling to have it torn down or at the very least relocated to a less prominent location. Many others, thought the statue should stay (you can read comments on our Facebook page). A group who call themselves Dentonites Against Racist Traditions, had a few meetings to discuss how to get the statue, which is a Texas Historical Marker, removed. The group, which sought to work to remove the statue within the confines of the law, recently took a break from their meetings to look into removing the historical marker.
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The confederate statue on the square has been the focus on some recent discussion. Photo by Cynthia Pantaleon.
Recent headlines have reignited debates over the the Confederate Flag as protests against recurring police brutality have heightened awareness of enduring racism in America. Some have raised their eyes to the Confederate Monument on the Denton Square to wonder aloud why it remains. Read on to find some answers that are neither simple nor easy, but indeed possible if we look back to the reasons why it was placed there back in the day.
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