Some statues are being torn down. But I did the opposite.

I just finished salvaging a concrete patriot.You're familiar with him.Today we call him a lawn jockey. He's often seen holding a lantern, although he also was used as a horse hitch in earlier times.You might be surprised to know he's not an anonymous figure; he has a name and a real story to tell.According to legend, Jocko Graves was an African-American youth who served with General George Washington.They say he was at the river when Washington and his men crossed the Delaware to carry out a surprise attack on Hessian forces at Trenton, New Jersey. Washington considered Jocko just a boy and too young to take part.So the men left him on the Pennsylvania side to tend to the horses during bitter cold and to keep a light on the river bank until the men returned.Ever faithful Jocko followed orders and stood proud. He actually did his job too well.Sadly, he died on duty. When Jocko was found, he was standing in place, frozen, still holding the lantern in his hand.According to legend, Washington was so moved by the boy's devotion, he commissioned a statue of Jocko to be sculpted, holding the lantern for eternity.Washington supposedly erected the original statue at his Mount Vernon estate and called him "The Faithful Groomsman."Of course, nobody is certain about the truth of the story. Still, it's cited in African American literature, such as the book "Jocko: A Legend of the American Revolution," by author Earl Kroger Jr.Whatever the case, I discovered an old, broken Jocko standing alone inside a Tamaqua garage in early June.Although made of concrete with iron rebar, he'd seen better days. The back of his arm was missing. His paint was gone. He was chipped, broken and looking sad.He likely was headed to a dumpster.Still, I knew he could be brought back to life with several hours of work. Determined, I loaded him onto a hand truck and took him to my garage.There, I pressure-washed him, then mixed a small amount of concrete patch to restore his broken arm and to fill in several gaps and holes.Next, I applied colorful craft paint, after which I sprayed him with a few coats of clear polyurethane.While the paint was drying, I searched eBay and found an old electric lantern for $25.And so, after a little bit of effort and just a few bucks, Jocko has returned to his former glory.Truth be told, I wanted to restore his original black face.But we live in a complicated time. Doing such a thing is considered a no-no. In fact, the art of "blackface" has been eliminated from theatrical performances, too, since the 1930s.Most lawn jockey statues are white-faced today because doing otherwise can be interpreted as insensitive or even racist.So I painted Jocko white simply to avoid controversy.Somehow, though, it goes against the grain to purposely deny historical accuracy. A sincere tribute to Jocko shouldn't need to be whitewashed.I hope there comes a day when the strength of truth overpowers the whimsical winds of political correctness.Jocko was a hero and his statue should stand historically correct.At the end of the day, I was pleased with how the project turned out. But I still believe all Jocko statues should have a black face.Courage comes in all colors.Jocko needs to be a sentinel of sanity.He deserves it and so do we.