|
|
The
views expressed
on this page are soley those of the author and do not
necessarily
represent the views of County News Online
|
 |
Townhall
The Confederate
Flag and South Carolina
Steve Chapman
Jun 21, 2015
When I went off to college in 1972, leaving Texas for New England, I
took something to remind me of home: a large Confederate flag. With my
roommates' indulgence, it hung on the wall of my freshman dorm suite
the entire academic year.
It seemed harmless at the time. I didn't intend any racial message, and
I didn't feel any sympathy for racial bigotry. Although I had attended
segregated public schools all my life, when my high school integrated
my senior year, I co-chaired a student human relations committee to
address racial conflicts.
Like a lot of people below the Mason-Dixon Line -- white people, anyway
-- I saw the emblem as a token of regional pride. I didn't revere
slavery and Jim Crow. But I thought there was much about the South to
love.
And if the flag annoyed the Yankees a little, that was OK. They were
not as noble and blameless as they pretended to be. They were not going
to make me repudiate my native region.
But when I recently ran across a photo of me and a friend hanging that
flag out the dorm window, I winced. The banner, the familiar red
rectangle with a blue X, hadn't changed. But my understanding of what
it signified had.
In 2015, anyone displaying that flag knows what it means to viewers,
particularly black ones. It's an expression of hostility, not only
toward black people, but to broader ideals of how the nation should
come to terms with the legacy of racism.
It's a gesture of defiance by many whites who feel victimized by the
growing visibility and influence of minorities. It's a giant middle
finger, aimed at anyone who would find it offensive.
In a free society, expression of that sort is protected. So it's not
surprising to know that the flag can be seen in many places in the
South. But it is jarring to be reminded that it still flies at the
state Capitol of South Carolina. There, it's justified as a tribute to
the state's Civil War heritage and history.
Except it's not, really. The flag didn't fly over the state Capitol
until the early 1960s, and it was revived in direct reaction to the
civil rights movement. It was a token of whites' attachment to
segregation...
Read the rest of the article at Townhall
|
|
|
|
