TheBlaze's Lawrence B. Jones III appeared on "Fox and Friends" to discuss the controversy behind the Confederate statues and whether or not they should remain intact.
How blacks feel about the statues
"You know, some of the statues I don't like. But it doesn't change the lives of black Americans," Jones told the "Fox and Friends" team. "At the end of the day, racists are going to be racist. And I'm not saying that everyone that supports these statues are racist."
According to Jones, he would rather focus on economic prosperity, especially for the community he lives in.
"At the end of the day, I don't think the statues actually impact the day-to-day lives of black folks," Jones said.
To leave the statues intact or pull them down?
Co-host Steve Doocy brought up a great question: should communities start talking whether they should take down the statues or leave them intact?
Jones III says having that discussion is fine and allowing communities to decide if they want the statues is fine but the vandalism that's taking place is not OK.
"You can't just go around taking them down," Jones said.
"You can't do it yourself," Doocy added.
"That's out of order," Jones said.
A civil debate
When talking about the statue debate, is it possible for both sides to be civil?
"This has been an emotional week. I mean, for everyone, on all sides of the issue. But I do think it's good to have this conversation. Unfortunately, when you're having these conversations with friends and colleagues, it starts to get very emotional in the sense that people are called 'racist' and all that. And I don't think that's healthy," Jones said.
Don't forget the past
The debate over the Confederate statues lie deep within America's roots, something that is often forgotten
"I think it's good we're having the conversation, but please be civil about it. There's (sic) passionate people from all sides. You have people whose family members fought in the Confederacy and so they have their opinions on it as well. And historians go back-and-forth on what they feel is the correct history," Jones said.
.@LawrenceBJones3: "I don't think the statues actually impact the day-to-day lives of black folks." pic.twitter.com/K8lj3PArbq
— Fox News (@FoxNews) August 19, 2017