In the face of an act of racial violence in Charleston, the people of South Carolina have shown it is possible to overcome racism through coming together in love. That was not the end result the powers that be hoped to see by setting up the circumstances for this act to take place. They wanted (and expected) chaos, violence and destruction to be the end result. When that did not occur, they had the media bring out the ever present symbol of hatred and slavery in the South--the Confederate flag.
I'm not here to tell you the Confederate flag has no meaning and is not associated with slavery and racial conflict. I do believe it still holds those connotations for African Americans as well as white people all over the country. I will say this. After over 20 years of living in the South and being associated with South Carolina for 35 years, white people in the South see it a little bit differently. It represents a part of their heritage and history. For most people in the South, it is not something that takes an overwhelming precedent in their lives. The vast majority of Southerners don't wave it around, fly it from their homes or even think about it on a daily basis. It is just something that identifies them with their ancestry. Still, the Confederate flag raises some lingering issues that people all over the country can't seem to get over.
I have a message for the people of the South. It is not meant with disrespect, nor is it meant to dismiss your collective heritage. It is designed as something to ponder and consider the ramifications of.
My Southern friends and neighbors of my adopted home,
Whether you like it or not, the Confederate flag has become a symbol for racism and hatred all over the United States and even the world. People not in the South see that image and assume that all of us in the South are racist and hate people who are not like us!!! They see that flag and believe that we are still of the same mentality we were in before Civil Rights or even the Civil War! You live here! You know that is not the case!!! The only way the rest of the people of the world will begin to understand the change is if we are publicly willing to give up our egos and let go of the symbols of our hate!!! That includes letting go of the symbolism of the Confederate flag. When we no longer cling to all those things that associate us with the negativity, they have one less way to fault our way of life. Be bold, rise up and take away their power to use this symbol to define who and what we are!!! Allow the Confederate flag to be relegated to the history books and find new ways to show the world exactly who you are!!! The actions in Charleston are one positive way we can forge ahead and become examples to the world of who we are and what the world can become in the face of hatred!!!
When we no longer cling to those symbols that represent our collective hatred, our rulers lose the ability to hold those symbols against us. In effect, we free ourselves from one more level of control. Isn't it time we begin to take back our power and create a life where love and freedom reign supreme?
~CSE
I'm not here to tell you the Confederate flag has no meaning and is not associated with slavery and racial conflict. I do believe it still holds those connotations for African Americans as well as white people all over the country. I will say this. After over 20 years of living in the South and being associated with South Carolina for 35 years, white people in the South see it a little bit differently. It represents a part of their heritage and history. For most people in the South, it is not something that takes an overwhelming precedent in their lives. The vast majority of Southerners don't wave it around, fly it from their homes or even think about it on a daily basis. It is just something that identifies them with their ancestry. Still, the Confederate flag raises some lingering issues that people all over the country can't seem to get over.
I have a message for the people of the South. It is not meant with disrespect, nor is it meant to dismiss your collective heritage. It is designed as something to ponder and consider the ramifications of.
My Southern friends and neighbors of my adopted home,
Whether you like it or not, the Confederate flag has become a symbol for racism and hatred all over the United States and even the world. People not in the South see that image and assume that all of us in the South are racist and hate people who are not like us!!! They see that flag and believe that we are still of the same mentality we were in before Civil Rights or even the Civil War! You live here! You know that is not the case!!! The only way the rest of the people of the world will begin to understand the change is if we are publicly willing to give up our egos and let go of the symbols of our hate!!! That includes letting go of the symbolism of the Confederate flag. When we no longer cling to all those things that associate us with the negativity, they have one less way to fault our way of life. Be bold, rise up and take away their power to use this symbol to define who and what we are!!! Allow the Confederate flag to be relegated to the history books and find new ways to show the world exactly who you are!!! The actions in Charleston are one positive way we can forge ahead and become examples to the world of who we are and what the world can become in the face of hatred!!!
When we no longer cling to those symbols that represent our collective hatred, our rulers lose the ability to hold those symbols against us. In effect, we free ourselves from one more level of control. Isn't it time we begin to take back our power and create a life where love and freedom reign supreme?
~CSE
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