Many of us are all too familiar with the controversial Confederate Flag currently flying over I-95 south of the city… or the 3-6 person marches around the VMFA.
Many of us are all too familiar with the controversial Confederate Flag currently flying over I-95 south of the city… or the 3-6 person marches around the VMFA.
Local WRIC-ABC has some solid coverage.
“The group Virginia Flaggers erected a 10-foot by 15-foot flag atop a 50-foot flagpole Saturday morning.
The group says the goal is to “remind drivers of our honorable confederate history and heritage.”
Critics call the flag a symbol of hate, and tens of thousands of people have signed a petition to stop it from flying. The controversial flag has received national attention, and those against the idea are speaking out.”
This weekend the flag was raised to a crowd of about 100 people. And shortly after, a group called United RVA set up a nice middle-finger to the VA Flaggers. An even larger American flag was put up downtown.
As RVA’s population argues in circles about the Confederate flag’s importance, this side-show display of pseudo-patriotism, and the difference between history and propaganda, The Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities has taken the high road and written an AMAZING guide on the symbolism and history behind the flag.
Here’s some of the bridge-building highlights:
The flag flying along Interstate 95 in Chesterfield
County is one of the most recognizable and most
controversial symbols in American history. The
Virginia Flaggers explain that they raised the flag to
“serve to welcome visitors and commuters to
Richmond, and remind them of our honorable
Confederate history and heritage.” Whatever the
Flaggers’ intent, the flag they have raised has a
complex history that means many different things
to different people – and many of those meanings
do not send a welcoming message
Look at that non-controversial explanation. It gives me goosebumps to see someone not trying to dig into this issue via the toilet. Here’s a bit from the guide about how the flag has affected current discussion:
These often trivial and sometimes sinister
postwar uses of the flag provoked intense discussion
and efforts – led then by Confederate heritage
groups – to curtail those uses. The controversies
that have dominated headlines – disputes over
students wearing flags on clothing, over flag
displays on public property, and the big flag on
Interstate 95 – are not new to our time, but began
in the 1960s as African Americans gained a more
significant voice in public affairs.
And finally, a friendly remind of why respect on both sides is key to any continued dialog on the issue:
American Civil Liberties Union attorney William
Simpson, who helped broker a 1989 settlement in a
North Carolina school controversy lawsuit, explained
one way of translating the flag’s history into practical
and ethical guidelines. “If your need to express pride
in your Southern heritage is worth hurting those who
are offended by the flag, then do what you must,”
Simpson said. “But at least try to see why the message
you intend to send is not always the one that is
received.” On the other hand, Simpson asked those
offended by the flag “to see that the Confederate flag
means many different things to many different
people. Recognize that the flag has significance
beyond racism. Try to understand that the message
you receive when you see the flag may not be the
message the person displaying it intends to send.”
You can read the entire guide here – and you should, it’s both informative and fascinating. And, most importantly, it provides a great frame work to discuss the issue with your kids.
It’s for the kids, folks…
