A century and a half is not enough to whitewash the reputation of the Confederate flag.
The flag may be a proud sign of heritage to some. But when that heritage is built on hatred and
oppression, there is no way to wipe clean the blood and bondage it represents.
It is unfathomable to me that 150 years after the end of the Civil War, the Confederate flag still flies
in government-sanctioned sites.
Individuals have every right to fly Confederate flags on their properties, but the flags have no place in
the public workplaces of people who make laws governing all.
Though many have tried to re-brand the symbol as a sign of Southern pride, it just cannot be done. It
carries too much baggage. Supporters of the flag say it stands for the strong will of the Southern
states to not buckle under federal control. But it’s impossible to separate the symbol from the primary
reason those states wanted to secede — slavery.
As unstable as he may be, even the accused shooter Dylann Roof understood the meaning of the flag.
Holding and wearing images of the flag, he spouted his hatred of blacks before allegedly killing nine of
them at a prayer meeting last month.
Why would any elected officials want to give a place of prominence to a symbol that is so hurtful to many
of its citizens?
Being part of history does not give a symbol the right to be displayed on public grounds.
The British Union Jack is also part of our nation’s history. But I can’t recall the last time I saw a
British flag flying at a state capitol.
It’s time to pack up the Confederate flags and display them in museums.
For those unaware, the Ku Klux Klan once had a strong presence in Wood County. But the salvaged garbs and
relics from those dark days aren’t on display in prominent places on government grounds. They are
relegated to where they belong — the county historical museum as a piece of our past.
While the recent slaughter at the historic black church in Charleston, South Carolina, has finally
convinced many public sites to remove the flags, there are many others where the divisive flag still
flies. Even in South Carolina, legislators are still struggling with the issue. Their vote last week
only allows the legislature to debate the flag on state grounds.
As one of the victims, the Rev. Clementa Pinckney, laid in the state capitol for mourners to pay their
respects last week, a black cloth was hung over the window to block out the view of the Confederate flag
flying on capitol grounds.
If elected officials won’t take down a simple symbol of hatred, how can they be trusted to take down real
barriers to equality?
It’s time to relegate this symbol of hatred to history. If the South is going to rise again, it can only
do it by shedding this part of its heritage.
The flag is just a start, but true healing cannot take place as long as that flag flies.