“People value monuments above men, and signs above works.”
Imagine a strange billionaire ready to part with billions of dollars of his wealth as a gift to the state of Alabama.
Yet, he has one strange condition: the money must be spent on the construction of a new monument dedicated to the state and her people.
What monument should Alabama build? If money and means were of no concern, how should the state of Alabama enshrine its history and the hopes for where its story might lead?
I have presented this hypothetical for a few years now to prod my fellow Alabamians. The usual response is crickets and blinks.
No doubt, it’s a difficult question to answer because 1) there isn’t one obvious definitive answer, 2) many people don’t seem to have the creative impulse or interest enough to even care, and 3) the tensions in Alabama’s past, present and future tend to give pause to those who actually take the question seriously.
Yet, one can imagine a few responses.
Some may jokingly suggest a giant football etched with reliefs of Alabama’s great players and coaches, with special attention to national titles over the years.
Others, more mockingly, may submit a giant toilet statue given Alabama’s status as America’s dumping ground.
Others, even more sardonically, may argue that the new multi-billion-dollar prisons in Alabama are already destined to become monuments of a kind for freedom, justice, and human rights.
Others, more cynical still (let’s call them libertarians), may suggest that the money, even if dispersed under the strictest conditions, would simply be wasted as usual by government bureaucracy and better spent by the billionaire himself with his own singular vision rather than letting the government erect some monstrosity by committee.
And others yet — those of a more self-serious progressive bent whose moral earnestness leads them to completely miss the point of this thought experiment — would likely give a long-winded speech about how the question itself is a privileged example of telescopic philanthropy, that spending a billion dollars on a monument would be just another gilded-age waste of resources (much like Jeff Bezos’s 10,000 year clock,) and that such money would be better spent on helping the poor and marginalized through the latest schemes to right historical wrongs or fight climate change, or something.
Yet, if we do pause long enough to take the question of the Alabama billion-dollar monument seriously as a thought experiment – our practical postures relaxed for just a moment – then maybe Alabama’s story will become more vivid and enduring than stuck in the usual ruts.
Consider the current monuments in Alabama — the Vulcan Statue overlooking Birmingham, the Boll Weevil Monument in downtown Enterprise, the many Civil Rights Monuments, Memorials, and Museums in Birmingham and Montgomery, the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park in Mobile, the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, the earthworks of Moundville, and even Confederate Memorial Park in Marbury – how could one begin to distill down such history into one monument?
Add to that Alabama’s rich history of her Christian religion, music, and sport, as well as her natural wonders, and what story could we tell?
If you’re having trouble fleshing out an answer, just do what I did.
Start with a simple vision, a place you may like to visit that does not yet exist, then ask your favorite A.I. buddy (I used Grok) to flesh out your idea.
Feel free to email me what y’all dream up, A.I.-assisted or not. Send-ups of this whole monument idea are also welcomed, but I would love to see what you might conjure up to commemorate this great state, especially if you’re actually a professional architect with a strange billionaire friend.
Maybe, if we free ourselves to absurdly imagine beautiful things without getting too bogged down in the practical problems of everyday life and politics, we might just see our struggles realized in monuments someday, rather than lost to dust.
Maybe people value monuments more than men, signs more than works, because monuments inspire men to aspire to something more than their day-to-day struggles, suffering and pain.
In the meantime, here’s what I came up with Grok’s help:
The Cross of Resilience would rise, its form a cross when seen from the sky, symbolizing faith, sacrifice and unity – the sign of the Logos setting straight our oppositions, contradictions and frailties.
Spanning several acres, its pathways would guide visitors along a gentle upward climb, each step tracing Alabama’s journey from ancient roots to modern dreams, culminating in a breathtaking vista over a winding river.
The walk would begin in a shaded grove, where the earth speaks of indigenous legacies, followed by shadowed stretches of struggle, with walls reflecting the pain of slavery and the Civil War. At the cross’s heart, a vibrant plaza would pulse with the transformation of the Civil Rights Era then modern cultural pride – sport, music, innovation, space exploration, and the agrarian spirit interwoven. The final ascent would open to a platform where a digital tapestry captures Alabamians’ visions for tomorrow, glowing under the stars.
This monument, lit softly at night, would not erase Alabama’s tensions but embrace them, offering spaces for dialogue about its complex past and visions of the future.
Overlooking nature’s grandeur, the Cross of Resilience would weave Alabama’s story into an enduring symbol of redemption, inviting all to reflect, dream, and walk forward together.
Joey Clark is a native Alabamian and is currently the host of the radio program News and Views on News Talk 93.1 FM WACV out of Montgomery, AL, M-F 12 p.m. - 3 p.m. His column appears every Tuesday in 1819 News. To contact Joey for media or speaking appearances, as well as any feedback, please email [email protected]. Follow him on X @TheJoeyClark or watch the radio show livestream.
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to [email protected].
Don’t miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.
