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Time to change
those
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The
Grayline
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Are you aware that currently nine states still
use some form of Confederate Flag?
The most blatant states are Mississippi and Texas--outright copies
of the two most predominate Confederate flag.
North Carolina, Tennessee, Florida. Arkansas, Alabama, fly flags
that leave little or no imagination for making the Confederate connection.
Before the Civil War started each of these states changed their flags
to their current one. South Carolina was the first to return to its
pre-Civil War Flag in 1867, displaying its light blue field and white
pine tree. Why didn’t the other southern
states not follow suit? Could
the State of Georgia lead the way with their NEW flag?
Georgia put a referendum on the 1990 state ballot to change
the flag and it failed by a very slim margin. This battle would continue
as the Summer Olympic Games came to Atlanta in 1996. Many Americans
talked about boycotting Georgia’s goods and services. The flag changed
with the Georgia legislators kicking and screaming all the way. The
State of Georgia finally changed their flag to a solid blue field
with the Georgia State official logo in the center.
It also displays all of the previous flags at the bottom of
the standard. As a result, history will be preserved forever. Why
can’t other southern states simulate Georgia’s lead? What will it take: An economic and social boycott like
South Carolina’s African Americans
proposed this year; a world event, similar to Atlanta’s Summer
Olympic Games; a referendum for each affected state, similar to Georgia’s
State ballot attempt in 1990? After 9-11, I thought
America would come to their collective senses, but it has not happened.
I thought the attack on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center would
send a message. The message was not received; the message that would
be along the sweet musical lines of what Marvin Gaye would sing instead
of Sexual Healing: Spiritual Healing. But we are going
back to business as usual. We are back to cultural snipping at each
other; we are back to attacking each other’s psyche. America has returned
to Democrats and Republicans throwing political stones at each other.
From Sports owners to small businesses it’s all the same.
No respect. It seems that we have not learned anything. This week the state of South
Carolina will raise the Confederate Battle Flag over the state capitol
building just like it has been done for over 140 years. Slapping the
face of South Carolina’s African Americans. Most of the fine upstanding
citizens of the State of South Carolina do not want this to happen.
Most African Americans want to see this flag retired and exhibited
in a museum. Governor George Wallace in the 1960’s placed the Alabama
State flag above the United States flag, which is in direct violation
of federal law, before being forced to reverse his action.
Executive orders came to Alabama from President’s John F. Kennedy
and Lyndon Baynes Johnson’s White Houses. Wallace action was
one of Southern defiance, but it is still going on today. The Ku Klux Klan still uses
the Confederate Flag as their standard. So why would other southern
states want to have this flag as part of their state symbol? Why would
Southern politicians want ethnic minority citizens to live with this
flag that is a national affront to them?
Again this could be just another act of defiance. America has been touting the premise that we are a
diverse nation but is unwilling to take corrective action. This corrective
action can be accomplished through an act of kindness, commitment,
any act that conveys to all Americans that we are ready to take it
to the next level, that next step towards domestic peace. Changing
the flag would tell America that all southern states are willing to
move forward and truly heal this nation.
TAKE THE FLAGS DOWN NOW! After 9-11 White Americans
began calling Black Americans brothers, instead of the famous N word.
The new enemy lived in the Middle East; the new foe spoke Farsi and
Arabic. But was this only for the moment; only for a few weeks? Many Americans want to end racism, sexism, disableism,
and homophobia. How serious are we when it relates to brotherhood
and love? We are still fighting over removing specific southern state
flags. These state flags should have been taken down immediately after
the Civil War or during the Civil Rights Movement. The Confederate
Flag should be retired forever—they lost the war. Or did they? This should be America’s first step in real national
race relations. Simple acts of kindness in regards to race or race
relations are just simply lost in America. Spike Lee is right, can
we ask America to DO
THE RIGHT THING? THAT IS THE GRAY LINE |
