The Confederate Flag Means This to Me

In the aftermath of the tragic shootings in South Carolina which claimed the lives of nine innocent church-goers, there are renewed calls for the removal of the Confederate flag on public buildings, most notably state capitols in the south.

I have never had an emotional reaction about the Confederate flag.  I realize that for many people, particularly many black people, it stirs up feelings of anger and hurt because it symbolizes the Confederacy, the southern states where slavery flourished. The Confederate flag also symbolizes the vile and dehumanizing system of segregation. This is not ancient history.  Many people have personally experienced the system of segregation, some as the ones being denied equality, others as beneficiaries of the system. But almost everyone has seen a historical record that documents our nation's past inequalities, and often, the Confederate flag is prominent in those images.  Who hasn't
seen footage of angry southern whites carrying Confederate flags as they chanted racial slurs and threatened black children as they attempted to enter a newly desegregated school? Or images of blacks being physically attacked by angry whites being cheered on by mobs, many carrying Confederate flags? We've seen images of  blacks who wanted nothing more than to have a meal, or a drink of water, or to use the washroom, be denied and sometimes forcibly removed from white-owned businesses, which often had a Confederate flag (or poster) in the window or on the wall.  There is no denying that racism and the Confederate flag have had a long association.

On the other hand, I've also understood why many southerners, who have no racial animus, support the Confederate flag. I've watched, read about and listened to them speak with great fondness of a south, rich in history and culture.  They wax poetically about the genteelness of a bygone era and express a desire to honor ancestors who died fighting in the Civil War.  As a lover of history, I've watched televised Civil War re-enactments. These events are spectacular and they are conducted all over the country, even here in the Midwest.  The participants invest lots of time and resources in these realistic events, and they are committed to historical accuracy. Surely, no respectable re-enactment can be conducted without a Confederate flag. By the way, you'll find that blacks are active participants in Civil War re-enactments.  In fact, there are about 20 black Civil War re-enactment units around the country.

However, with all of this in mind, still, I could never muster up any energy to get worked up over the Confederate flag.  I know my history well, and I have the deepest respect for those who had to endure slavery and Jim Crow.  But the reason why I have never been emotionally moved by the sight of, or knowledge that the Confederate flag is flying or being displayed somewhere is because I've always considered the Confederacy as the treasonous states, and thought they got off  too easy.  These secessionists states were nothing more than losers, both figuratively and literally.  The United States considered the Confederacy illegitimate, and it was.  No foreign country ever recognized them.  They lost the war, in fact they all surrendered. Their money became worthless. The Confederate flag has no value.  It never has.  It's way past time to bury it.