September 8, 2020
Dear Lafayette County Supervisors and Board of Aldermen,
My name is Alena Tikhova. I am the owner and operator at Dodo Pizza, a restaurant in Oxford, MS. I am writing this letter on behalf of myself and my crew of twelve people. We are kindly asking you to reconsider your decision regarding the relocation of the Confederate statue from Oxford Square to the town cemetery. We believe it is a step in the right direction for Oxford and Ole Miss and it will make our town more welcoming and inclusive to people of all skin colors and heritage.
Working for an international company prior to becoming a business owner, I got a chance to live in four different countries, nine different cities and attend three international business schools. Our experiences shape us and what has shaped me as an individual is understanding that the most prosperous areas/companies/institutions are always the most inclusive ones. Inclusive to people of different beliefs, skin colors, sexuality, gender identity and nationality.
Inclusion comes from empathy, an ability to look at the situation with someone else’s eyes and feel what they feel. If we look at the Confederate statue on Oxford Square with the eyes of a black person, we will feel pain and misery passed from one generation to the other. Some might disagree and say that it is just a monument to honor the dead, but it is a lot more than that. It is a message to the whole town and its visitors that the symbols and ideas of the Confederacy are still glorified in Oxford, MS. The Confederacy stood for slavery, among other causes, and people will always remember that. We suggest that as a community we honor the memory of ancestors at the cemetery, but glorify the symbols of unity and love for one another at the most central place in town.
I can not tell you how many times I have been asked by those visiting Oxford: “Is that a Confederate statue? Did they not fight to keep slaves?” It is only a matter of time in this fast-changing world before more and more people will get resistant to our town and University based on the image we are projecting through this statue. As a human being, a hospitality worker, a business owner and someone who truly loves Oxford, I do not want to see that happen. Oxford deserves a better future with a stronger economy and international recognition. Our great University has a potential of attracting a lot more world-class faculty, guest lecturers, best athletes and international students. We can achieve all that through inclusion and openness to progress.
We believe that Oxford and Ole Miss have a great future ahead and kindly ask you to listen to the voices of our diverse community so we can keep moving forward together. Please, relocate the Confederate statue from Oxford Square to the town cemetery.
With much respect,
Alena Tikhova, Oxford Resident and Owner/Operator of Dodo Pizza