February 8, 2024 • 10 mins
The bedrock of Charleston's economic 'historic tourism' dollars that come from people traveling to SC to learn about America's history and the story of our nation's founding, is under seige.
After all, Charleston's history dates back to the American Revolution.
Unfortunately, the continued removal of historical moments, not just in the lowcountry, but across America, remains a threat. Check out the American Heritage Association's Brett Barry on a 'Big Fail Friday' edition of the Kelly Golden Show podcast - powered by Disaster Plus.
NOTE: Limited tickets to Saturday's AHA event are available here for purchase. Don't wait! It's close to being (if not already) sold out!
After all, Charleston's history dates back to the American Revolution.
Unfortunately, the continued removal of historical moments, not just in the lowcountry, but across America, remains a threat. Check out the American Heritage Association's Brett Barry on a 'Big Fail Friday' edition of the Kelly Golden Show podcast - powered by Disaster Plus.
NOTE: Limited tickets to Saturday's AHA event are available here for purchase. Don't wait! It's close to being (if not already) sold out!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
This is the Kelly Golden Show podcastpowered by Disaster Plus. On a Big
Fail Friday, disappearing, dismantling,destruction of our American history with American Heritage
Associations. Brett Barry, Hey,Brett, how are you doing well in
yourself? You would have known?The pleasantries are my real answer? If
show I've got a talk show andtune in. But here's the latest cases.
(00:23):
Let's get into this. It's unbelievable. I shake my head and I
am afraid to even say, mygod, what's next? New York City
removes Thomas Jefferson this statue that's beenthere for over one hundred years. He's
a founding father, for goodness sakes, bread, he deserves respect. You
know, a lot of people,including fluent President Trump said back, and
(00:43):
I think it was around twenty seventeenwhen they came after the Confederate Monuments,
that this was just the beginning.And boy did that comment age well,
because it wasn't long after they weretaken down the lead, which was wrong
to begin with, but they jumpedright to the founding fathers, which I
think really their underlying motivation. Itis a disdain for this country, and
it's founding. I mentioned the AmericanHeritage Association. For those who haven't heard
(01:08):
what AHA is, let's talk aboutthat. You know, Charleston. When
I moved here, it was becauseI fell in love with it, because
it had a real appreciation for itshistory. And then under former Mayor Techlenberg,
that appreciation was just destroyed. Anda few of us got together and
(01:30):
said we need to make a stand, particularly when the Calhoun Monument was ripped
down. It seemed like all thesemonuments were coming down and nobody was standing
in the breach. So we gota group together and we said, you
know, we're going to plan aflag. We're going to draw a red
line, and we're going to fightback against this. We're going to be
a voice to counter this. Andthat's how the American Hariage Association was formed
(01:53):
in Charleston, and our major missionis to preserve our national memory, which
includes preserving Charleston's historical landscape, whichis her monument. Well, curiously,
I just found out, Brett,that my third great grandmother, Rebecca Ritchel
Calhoun, was a distant cousin toJohn c. Now, if you dig
(02:13):
deep enough, we're probably all somehowrelated. But if we're looking back and
you decide how far. I mean, everyone has sense the bigger picture here
is about not knowing our history inbeing doomed to repeat it. You know,
those who control the past control thepresent and the future. Charleston,
we have a huge bedrock of oureconomy is historical tourism. People coming here
(02:38):
to learn the history and the storynot only of Charleston, but of South
Carolina and of this country because wehave history all the way back to the
Revolution in Charleston, and that isall coming under threat all around the country.
You'd expect that up in the Northeast, but the fact that this is
happening in dark red South Carolina,it's just unbelievable. And there needs to
(03:00):
be a moment where we push thispendulum swinging back in the other direction.
And I think that needs to happenwith a John C. Calhoun monument goes
to show that this isn't just aboutthe Civil War. There's a removal of
the American Museum of Natural History ofNative American displays. I don't understand what's
offensive about a canoe or tools,or pottery or a headdress. That's not
(03:23):
really the point, is it.The point is about America and it's founding
and if you don't agree with it, it's gotten to the point of beyond
absurd. The same group pushed toremove the Little Indian Girl off the Land
of Lakes Butter, I mean,it's ridiculous. Yeah, Uncle Ben's off
the right, yeah yeah. AndAunt Jemima, who is an actual woman,
(03:46):
historic figure, and she's gone.So this has just gotten ridiculous.
But what is even more absurd isthat too many politicians feirit they run from
these folks that are pushing these ridiculousproposals, ripping down monuments, trying to
erase or rewrite our history. Andwe need more people to start leaning into
(04:09):
this fight. And that's really whatAHA is all about, is trying to
rally the troops, rally the baseto push back against this. And luckily,
we do have a lot of electedofficials in this state that are willing
to step up and fight back andpush back on cancel culture. But we
need a definitive win here to reallyget things moving in the right direction.
(04:30):
Well, that definitive win included oustingthe former mayor in the city of Charleston.
We have a new one. I'mcurious his support for the American Heritage
Association and y'all's relationship. And thenalso where in the world is the John
C. Calhoun statue right now?And I mean, what are the ideas
for the permanent home. Well,I've heard a lot of rumors about where
(04:51):
the Calhoun monument is. It's instorage somewhere in Charleston. I've heard a
couple of places. But I don'twant to I don't want to send up
bunch of people on a on asearching mission to a city. But as
far as the new mayor, he'sgot a lot on his plate right now.
And he's only been in office butfor just closing on three or four
(05:12):
weeks. It's been a chaotic onetoo. Bless him, I will say,
Biden comes to visit the days inaugurated, Yeah, exactly, that was
That was curious timing. Absolutely didhandle it, handled it excellently. But
you know, we we we dowant to engage in discussions in the near
future, but certainly understand that he'sgot a lot to deal with here given
(05:36):
the disaster that the former mayor lefthim. But we do wish to engage
in discussions, try to come upwith a reasonable resolution to the matter.
Because Charleston, as I said,is a major historical tourism destination. We
pioneered the preservation movement here in Charleston. So there's got to be a reasonable
(05:58):
middle ground for a way to getthe Calhoun Monument re erected, maybe not
in the same place, but somewhereclose by where people specifically go to see
history, so we can see thiswonderful work of art for the public display
again well, Brett Berry with theAmerican Heritage Association. People come here to
visit so that they can learn,you know, because what we learn about
(06:20):
the past tells us where we couldpossibly be going in the future. So
the Lee Monument as well as theCalhoun statue, what do we know about
Lee? This was another Tecklenburg move. In August of twenty twenty one,
he unilaterally removed the Roberty Lee Memorialon Upper King Street, clear violation of
(06:41):
the Heritage Act. Even the AttorneyGeneral Alan Wilson said so in the Post
and Courier. Unfortunately, though hethreatened legal action to enforce the Heritage Act
against the city, it's now beentwo years and we haven't seen any action.
So it really makes me wonder whetherwe do have a hair to jack
in South Carolina because a law thatis unenforced is just words on a piece
(07:05):
of paper. So we're hopeful thatin the future, in the near future,
the ag will will take action tomake sure that the monument protection laws
of the state are enforced. Butso far we haven't seen that happen yet.
We did do a pull of likelyRepublican voters throughout the state of South
(07:26):
Carolina, and ninety percent wanted theHeritage Act vigorously enforced by the Attorney General
and ninety percent. You don't getthose types of numbers on any issue.
I mean maybe the Second Amendment,but those are very high numbers. We
do recognize that the Attorney General hashad a lot on his plate the past
(07:46):
couple of years. That's why westill hold out hope that this issue will
come back up in the queue andbe dealt with the near future. Well,
the lead memorial, the Calhoun Monument, put him back up barbecue.
What's going on Saturday night? Well, we have an ongoing lawsuit we had
launched against the former mayor and weare joined by members of the Calhoun family
(08:09):
and members of the organization descendants ofthe organization that put the Calhoun Monument up,
so that lawsuit is ongoing. Wealso have the owners of Marion Square
or Coplain IFFs, and so whatwe're doing is we are fundraising for those
ongoing legal efforts for the Calhoun Monumentand potential future legal action on the Lee
(08:31):
Monument if we don't see anything happenfrom the state in that respect. So
we're having a barbecue event and itwill be Saturday, February tenth, from
six to eight pm in downtown Charlestonat the Washington Light Infantry Armory. We
will have several speakers, including CharlestonCity Council Women Caroline Parker and State Representative
(08:54):
Matthew Lieber. We're also going tohave several special guests, Representatives Landing Boostos
Medal of Honor recipient General Livingston,Senator Danny Verdin from the Upstate, and
I hear that former State Senator LeeBright may be in attendance as well.
We're going to have a barbecue buffet, a little bit of live music,
and bring everybody up to speed onour efforts. A lot of fire brands
(09:18):
you just mentioned there and I'll bethere, so add it to the mix.
Absolutely, and we are looking forwardto having you with us. Appreciate
it. So Brett Barry puts outsome really incredible newsletters giving you updates on
what's going on with all the effortsthat you just mentioned. So y'all go
to the American Heritage Association dot org'swebsite right now. Aha for sure,
(09:39):
but it's American Heritage Association. Typeit all out there in your browserwindow dot
org. Heck, if you can'tmake it out Saturday night six to eight
pm at the very least, gothere and sign up for those newsletter updates.
So appreciate you keeping up the fight. It's one thing to replace the
mayor who toured these monuments and statuesdown in the first place. It's another
thing to keep you know, thefeet to the fire. Absolutely, and
(10:01):
that's where we really distinguish ourselves.We are not giving up. We keep
fighting and we keep pushing because that'show you expose those that aren't standing up
for our history. And tickets canbe purchased on our website. We do
have a web page www. DotAmerican Heritage Associations dot org. Thank you,
Brett, and I'll see you Saturdaynight. We'll see you then.
(10:24):
This big fail Friday edition of ThatKelly Golden Show podcast is powered by Disaster
plus Bus. Don't bus when yourbus call seven Queen seven seven Disasterbus
This is the Kelly Golden Show podcastpowered by Disaster Plus. On a Big
Fail Friday, disappearing, dismantling,destruction of our American history with American Heritage
Associations. Brett Barry, Hey,Brett, how are you doing well in
yourself? You would have known?The pleasantries are my real answer? If
show I've got a talk show andtune in. But here's the latest cases.
(00:23):
Let's get into this. It's unbelievable. I shake my head and I
am afraid to even say, mygod, what's next? New York City
removes Thomas Jefferson this statue that's beenthere for over one hundred years. He's
a founding father, for goodness sakes, bread, he deserves respect. You
know, a lot of people,including fluent President Trump said back, and
(00:43):
I think it was around twenty seventeenwhen they came after the Confederate Monuments,
that this was just the beginning.And boy did that comment age well,
because it wasn't long after they weretaken down the lead, which was wrong
to begin with, but they jumpedright to the founding fathers, which I
think really their underlying motivation. Itis a disdain for this country, and
it's founding. I mentioned the AmericanHeritage Association. For those who haven't heard
(01:08):
what AHA is, let's talk aboutthat. You know, Charleston. When
I moved here, it was becauseI fell in love with it, because
it had a real appreciation for itshistory. And then under former Mayor Techlenberg,
that appreciation was just destroyed. Anda few of us got together and
(01:30):
said we need to make a stand, particularly when the Calhoun Monument was ripped
down. It seemed like all thesemonuments were coming down and nobody was standing
in the breach. So we gota group together and we said, you
know, we're going to plan aflag. We're going to draw a red
line, and we're going to fightback against this. We're going to be
a voice to counter this. Andthat's how the American Hariage Association was formed
(01:53):
in Charleston, and our major missionis to preserve our national memory, which
includes preserving Charleston's historical landscape, whichis her monument. Well, curiously,
I just found out, Brett,that my third great grandmother, Rebecca Ritchel
Calhoun, was a distant cousin toJohn c. Now, if you dig
(02:13):
deep enough, we're probably all somehowrelated. But if we're looking back and
you decide how far. I mean, everyone has sense the bigger picture here
is about not knowing our history inbeing doomed to repeat it. You know,
those who control the past control thepresent and the future. Charleston,
we have a huge bedrock of oureconomy is historical tourism. People coming here
(02:38):
to learn the history and the storynot only of Charleston, but of South
Carolina and of this country because wehave history all the way back to the
Revolution in Charleston, and that isall coming under threat all around the country.
You'd expect that up in the Northeast, but the fact that this is
happening in dark red South Carolina,it's just unbelievable. And there needs to
(03:00):
be a moment where we push thispendulum swinging back in the other direction.
And I think that needs to happenwith a John C. Calhoun monument goes
to show that this isn't just aboutthe Civil War. There's a removal of
the American Museum of Natural History ofNative American displays. I don't understand what's
offensive about a canoe or tools,or pottery or a headdress. That's not
(03:23):
really the point, is it.The point is about America and it's founding
and if you don't agree with it, it's gotten to the point of beyond
absurd. The same group pushed toremove the Little Indian Girl off the Land
of Lakes Butter, I mean,it's ridiculous. Yeah, Uncle Ben's off
the right, yeah yeah. AndAunt Jemima, who is an actual woman,
(03:46):
historic figure, and she's gone.So this has just gotten ridiculous.
But what is even more absurd isthat too many politicians feirit they run from
these folks that are pushing these ridiculousproposals, ripping down monuments, trying to
erase or rewrite our history. Andwe need more people to start leaning into
(04:09):
this fight. And that's really whatAHA is all about, is trying to
rally the troops, rally the baseto push back against this. And luckily,
we do have a lot of electedofficials in this state that are willing
to step up and fight back andpush back on cancel culture. But we
need a definitive win here to reallyget things moving in the right direction.
(04:30):
Well, that definitive win included oustingthe former mayor in the city of Charleston.
We have a new one. I'mcurious his support for the American Heritage
Association and y'all's relationship. And thenalso where in the world is the John
C. Calhoun statue right now?And I mean, what are the ideas
for the permanent home. Well,I've heard a lot of rumors about where
(04:51):
the Calhoun monument is. It's instorage somewhere in Charleston. I've heard a
couple of places. But I don'twant to I don't want to send up
bunch of people on a on asearching mission to a city. But as
far as the new mayor, he'sgot a lot on his plate right now.
And he's only been in office butfor just closing on three or four
(05:12):
weeks. It's been a chaotic onetoo. Bless him, I will say,
Biden comes to visit the days inaugurated, Yeah, exactly, that was
That was curious timing. Absolutely didhandle it, handled it excellently. But
you know, we we we dowant to engage in discussions in the near
future, but certainly understand that he'sgot a lot to deal with here given
(05:36):
the disaster that the former mayor lefthim. But we do wish to engage
in discussions, try to come upwith a reasonable resolution to the matter.
Because Charleston, as I said,is a major historical tourism destination. We
pioneered the preservation movement here in Charleston. So there's got to be a reasonable
(05:58):
middle ground for a way to getthe Calhoun Monument re erected, maybe not
in the same place, but somewhereclose by where people specifically go to see
history, so we can see thiswonderful work of art for the public display
again well, Brett Berry with theAmerican Heritage Association. People come here to
visit so that they can learn,you know, because what we learn about
(06:20):
the past tells us where we couldpossibly be going in the future. So
the Lee Monument as well as theCalhoun statue, what do we know about
Lee? This was another Tecklenburg move. In August of twenty twenty one,
he unilaterally removed the Roberty Lee Memorialon Upper King Street, clear violation of
(06:41):
the Heritage Act. Even the AttorneyGeneral Alan Wilson said so in the Post
and Courier. Unfortunately, though hethreatened legal action to enforce the Heritage Act
against the city, it's now beentwo years and we haven't seen any action.
So it really makes me wonder whetherwe do have a hair to jack
in South Carolina because a law thatis unenforced is just words on a piece
(07:05):
of paper. So we're hopeful thatin the future, in the near future,
the ag will will take action tomake sure that the monument protection laws
of the state are enforced. Butso far we haven't seen that happen yet.
We did do a pull of likelyRepublican voters throughout the state of South
(07:26):
Carolina, and ninety percent wanted theHeritage Act vigorously enforced by the Attorney General
and ninety percent. You don't getthose types of numbers on any issue.
I mean maybe the Second Amendment,but those are very high numbers. We
do recognize that the Attorney General hashad a lot on his plate the past
(07:46):
couple of years. That's why westill hold out hope that this issue will
come back up in the queue andbe dealt with the near future. Well,
the lead memorial, the Calhoun Monument, put him back up barbecue.
What's going on Saturday night? Well, we have an ongoing lawsuit we had
launched against the former mayor and weare joined by members of the Calhoun family
(08:09):
and members of the organization descendants ofthe organization that put the Calhoun Monument up,
so that lawsuit is ongoing. Wealso have the owners of Marion Square
or Coplain IFFs, and so whatwe're doing is we are fundraising for those
ongoing legal efforts for the Calhoun Monumentand potential future legal action on the Lee
(08:31):
Monument if we don't see anything happenfrom the state in that respect. So
we're having a barbecue event and itwill be Saturday, February tenth, from
six to eight pm in downtown Charlestonat the Washington Light Infantry Armory. We
will have several speakers, including CharlestonCity Council Women Caroline Parker and State Representative
(08:54):
Matthew Lieber. We're also going tohave several special guests, Representatives Landing Boostos
Medal of Honor recipient General Livingston,Senator Danny Verdin from the Upstate, and
I hear that former State Senator LeeBright may be in attendance as well.
We're going to have a barbecue buffet, a little bit of live music,
and bring everybody up to speed onour efforts. A lot of fire brands
(09:18):
you just mentioned there and I'll bethere, so add it to the mix.
Absolutely, and we are looking forwardto having you with us. Appreciate
it. So Brett Barry puts outsome really incredible newsletters giving you updates on
what's going on with all the effortsthat you just mentioned. So y'all go
to the American Heritage Association dot org'swebsite right now. Aha for sure,
(09:39):
but it's American Heritage Association. Typeit all out there in your browserwindow dot
org. Heck, if you can'tmake it out Saturday night six to eight
pm at the very least, gothere and sign up for those newsletter updates.
So appreciate you keeping up the fight. It's one thing to replace the
mayor who toured these monuments and statuesdown in the first place. It's another
thing to keep you know, thefeet to the fire. Absolutely, and
(10:01):
that's where we really distinguish ourselves.We are not giving up. We keep
fighting and we keep pushing because that'show you expose those that aren't standing up
for our history. And tickets canbe purchased on our website. We do
have a web page www. DotAmerican Heritage Associations dot org. Thank you,
Brett, and I'll see you Saturdaynight. We'll see you then.
(10:24):
This big fail Friday edition of ThatKelly Golden Show podcast is powered by Disaster
plus Bus. Don't bus when yourbus call seven Queen seven seven Disasterbus
The Kelly Golden Show News
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