The Confederate Flag: Cultural Heritage or Symbol of Oppression

Confederate Flag

I can't believe I lived to see the day that the Confederate flag (CF) is going down in the South. The Confederate states, those who fought for secession (separation) from the U.S. are seriously considering or have decided to fly the Confederate flag no more. Those states include Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, Texas, Florida (North of Orlando), and Oklahoma.  

The state of Missouri was a swing state that sent soldiers both to the Union, 110,000 and to the Confederate army, 30,000.  Below St. Louis went with the South, above St.Louis to the North. I grew up in the state of Missouri, the Bootheel, which is bordered by Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky. Several Civil war battles were fought in the state, one at Cape Girardeau, where I taught. Needless to say, Confederate flags were flown in Missouri, but not at the State house once the war was over.

Believe it or not, what is truly amazing is that big business has decided to stop selling Confederate flags and merchandise. Where corporate America goes, so goes the country. Walmart, Kmart, ebay, Amazon and Sears will no longer carry Confederate merchandise. Even Alibaba of China, a huge merchandising company, will no longer sell it. America is speaking from its pocketbook, not just mouthing words. Things in America have changed and are continuing to do so. 

Many well meaning Whites defend the Confederate flag, 

saying that it is part of the cultural history of the region 

and does not mean racism.

It is important to remember that any flag is just a symbol and symbols can only be understood through the lens of the beholders. It is necessary to recognize that the stance of the defenders of the CF is valid. To many White southerners, the Confederate flag does not mean racist. It means courage and family and good times. Understanding what it means to them is important. However, to people of colour, especially African Americans, the Confederate flag means danger and oppression.

Legalized Discrimination

Though I never saw the Confederate flag fly in Missouri,  I lived under its shadow.

I grew up during segregation (American apartheid) under Jim Crow laws. When I saw an establishment where the Confederate flag was displayed, that meant Blacks were not welcome. I knew not to go there unless I was having a serious emergency and even then I was very scared. If I saw a truck with the Confederate flag displayed on the back window I knew that meant danger: especially if it was full of white men. I made sure I got away from the truck as soon as possible or turned my eyes away as I walked by. Mind you, I saw these things often. When I see the CF flown or displayed I hear this song, Dixie, a de facto anthem of the Confederacy.

  

Oh, I wish I was in the land of cotton,

Old times there are not forgotten.

Look away, look away, look away Dixie Land!

Dixie, the land of cotton, where old times are not forgotten

Here's what the "old times" meant for me. I

1. could not eat in a restaurant

2. could not stay in a hotel 

3. had to drink from the colored water fountain and use the colored bathroom

    (if there were none then I had no water and no restroom)

4. paid the same as Whites for a bus ride, then got off and went to sit in the back

5. could buy a soda at the counter in the drug store, but had to go outside to drink it

          6. had to go to the back of the Greyhound bus station to buy food from a hole in the 

              wall : the store and fast food counter were off limits to Blacks 

          7. could not go the the public swimming pool 

          8. attended a school where there were excellent teachers, but out of date, ragged 

              textbooks handed down from the White school

          9. had no access to the public library

        10. had to watch my parents grovel when a police officer stopped us on the streets                   and highways for driving while Black.

        When my parents drove long distances they had to make sure they could get from one 

         town to another during the day because we could not stop in Sundowner towns at 

         night where they had, "No niggers after dark signs" hanging in prominent places. That 

         meant if we stopped and slept on the road we might have been beaten or killed. 

 

        This is what the "old times" mean to me, 

         not courage, not family, and certainly not fun times.

 

        And when I see the Confederate flag, that signifies to me, the white sentiment that we 

        go back to the good ole days when Blacks were "kept in their place."

         I have no problem with people who want to fly the CF at their homes, at their 

         businesses, wear it on the clothes, wave it at parades, hang it in their trucks. Those 

         are personal choices and this is America. Personal choice is what the nation is built 

         on. 

         However, I do take exception to seeing the CF flown at the seats of government: 

         governments to which people of colour pay taxes and support. The CF flying at the 

         state capitol and other government facilities says to me, 

 

         "this government still honors the "good ole times", a time and place where you 

          were not free."

 

         Personal use of the CF flag is fine and selling them to whomever wants to buy them is 

         fine, but I think the ones flying at government facilities should be laid to rest.

         

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Marquita Byrd, Ph.D.