As a white person I don’t know, but I do wonder what do black persons think or feel about the confederate flag?

Chuck Crawford

Wilson

In response to ‘Lesson from the past’

To deny the racism associated with the Confederate flag is to deny an accurate telling of history. I agree that the Confederate flag represents a part of the United States’ culture and history; however, I take issue with the idea that it is not a symbol of slavery and racism.

The Confederate flag made its debut during the Civil War to represent the Confederacy, which is inextricably linked to slavery and racism as these Confederate states wished to maintain the enslavement of Black people. In other words, this flag and movement are associated with allegiance to racism in the South, antiBlackness, and the maintenance of white supremacy. It is important that we, as white people, decenter our emotional responses and instead examine the historical origins and contemporary uses to better understand why it is so offensive.

The flag symbolizes the hopes of the Confederacy to expand the institution of slavery. The most common version of the “battle flag” that we see today features the “Southern Cross” and 13 stars that represent the 11 states of secession plus the disputed states of Kentucky and Missouri.

The flag was debuted in 1863 and this same year, Southerner George Bagby wrote in the Southern Literary Messenger about the flag noting, “The truth is, we shall see the Southern Cross ere the destiny of the Southern master and his African slave is accomplished:’ Confederates were explicit about what the flag stood for. The “battle flag” is not the Confederacy’s official flag and is one of many flags featured throughout the Civil War. Undoubtedly, the flag gained popularity after the Civil War through soldiers’ memorials.

The flag again gained popularity in the 1950s and 1960s in protest to Civil Rights movements and is widely used by the Ku Klux Klan. Most recently, the Confederate flag was front and center by white insurrectionists who rioted the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. These are just a few examples that represent a larger pattern and relationship between the symbolism of the confederate flag, racism, and white supremacy.

From the Civil War to the Civil Rights movement, the Confederate “battle flag” has always been about racism, white supremacy, anti-Blackness, and segregation. It is impossible to disentangle racism and slavery from the Confederate flag.

Sophia Ford

Formerly from Wilson

Currently in Eugene, Oregon