In two separate statements, a candidate for Kentucky House from western Kentucky has spoken out on the Lee statue in Calloway County, and challenged her opponent to a debate.
Shannon Davis-Roberts is running to represent the 5th District in the Kentucky House. Her opponent is Mary Imes, the wife of the local Judge-Executive Kenneth Imes.
Statement on the Lee statue controversy
After the Murray city council passed a resolution calling on the county to remove the statue of Robert E. Lee standing on county property next to the court house, the Calloway County Fiscal Court, led by Judge-Executive Imes, voted unanimously to keep the statue where it is. Notably, Judge Imes had said in 2018 that the statue would be removed “over his dead body.”
After the vote, Davis-Roberts released the following statement, including offering a compromise position:
“The Calloway County Fiscal Court’s decision to protect a symbol of racial inequality and oppression while claiming to respect Calloway Countians of color is hypocritical and downright embarrassing. We have to be better than this. The fight for equality will not end here.
“I understand that some Calloway County residents see this monument as a memorial to their ancestors. If that is the case being made for its preservation, then I strongly urge the fiscal court to consider relocating the statue to the Bowman Cemetery in Murray, where many Confederate veterans are buried.”
Call to Imes to debate
In a separate statement, Davis-Roberts challenged Mary Imes to a debate on “the issues that matter to western Kentuckians.”
From the statement:
Davis-Roberts, who has run a grassroots campaign centered on supporting public schools and libraries, protecting Kentucky’s women and children from abuse, and fostering a sustainable economy, will organize the debate.
“The people of Calloway and Trigg County deserve to know where my opponent and I stand on critical issues that affect daily life in our region,” said Davis-Roberts. “As a mother, writer, artist, and advocate for social change, I have worked my entire life fighting to enrich our communities. Can my opponent say the same?”
Davis-Roberts is co-owner of Walk the Willow, and found of the New South Arts Initiative. Her campaign is at RobertsForKY.org.
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