Ciona Rouse (crouse@colacoll.edu) from 206.74.7.88 at 10/28/97 02:48PM
comment
    I am from South Carolina where the issue of the Confederate Battle Flag flying atop our capital building in Columbia has caused much controversy in our state. I have heard several arguments about why the flag should continue flying up there because it is a representation of the "good ole Southern heritage." I have heard too many times that the flag cannot be called a racist symbol for this reason. However, I look at the battle flag and see a cross burning in the yard of a young African-American family as a man in white sheets waves the flag of rebellion. I see a group of people marching for white supremacy as they hold the flag up high. I see pictures in a history book of innocent black men hanging from a tree because the KKK decided to end their lives. The same KKK that uses the flag as a symbol of hatred against all non-whites. I see young neo-nazi skinheads wearing the flag on t-shirts as a pride symbol for white power. These are the images I see and I believe that a large percentage of Americans see the same images when they look at the flag of the Confederacy. Although I belive there is a valid argument saying that racism began long before the war was over and was not simply a result of the North's post-war dealings with the South, I will agree that this flag may not have originated from hatred. To many people, though, it is a symbol of hatred in a time where we are trying to move forward as a diverse nation. No, I don't feel that it is necessary to bury the flag with the past, because I do not think we should ever forget the past. We should learn from the past so that we can move on. If the flag does nothing but conjure up bitter feelings and racial thoughts, maybe it should be put in museums so that it CAN be celebrated as Southern pride, but also allow everyone to move on. I know that in our state there is probably little hope in seeing an African-American governor any time soon because this flag flying on the capital not only sends out a message of racial tension to blacks, but also shows that South Carolina is built firm on the old Southern traditions--the same traditions that did not even think a black man was worth a vote for so long. The South is a region built on these traditions and though we have come a long way, there is still quite a way to go. Maybe one day we will get there when we learn that we can honor the past without being so adamantly against change. When that time comes, we will truly be a diverse region and our children will never have to discuss whether or not the South will have African-American or female senators or governors. What do many of you think? Sorry I wrote so much!