The Confederate Flag

There were three successive signs that served as the flag for the Confederate states. The second flag, known as the "Stainless Banner," is the flag we see when we think of the Confederate flag. This flag is most well known as a battle flag used by Southern slave-owning states during the American Civil War. It bears white stars on a blue cross set against a red background. After the Civil War, it became a symbol of rebel pride and has additionally been nicknamed the Dixie flag and the Southern Cross. In the early 20th century, the Ku Klux Klan used the Confederate flag as their banner for a white supremacist terror campaign against individuals of color.

Many Southerners take great pride in the flag's history of sovereignty; however, many wear the flag for a number of different reasons. Neo-Nazis wear the flag alongside swastikas and other antisemitic motifs. For many others, this flag is regarded as a strong symbol of hate, slavery, and white-supremacy against African Americans among other races and people from different cultural backgrounds.

A man by the name of Leo Twiggs paints the Confederate flag as a symbol to represent his journey and the South's.

Racism is still a very real thing in America today, whether you are a witness to it, a victim of it, or someone who knowingly (or unknowingly) commits an act of racism. Some individuals in our country are very outright about their beliefs on racism.

A man living in Roseville, MI is very outright about his views on the Confederate flag displayed outside of his home. He gives a clear statement about what his flag means, "That means not welcome." This man is a veteran who was injured in Iraq and displays Nazi tattoos on his skin. He claims to be a supporter of Hitler because he is of German descent.

Another man called Dylann Roof murdered nine people in a church in Charleston on June 17, 2015. He claims that his intentions were to start a race war. Images of him posing with the Confederate flag surfaced not long after the shooting.

During the 2016 presidential campaign, Donald Trump supporters would display Confederate flags at rallies and gatherings. Some of these Confederate flags even had his face printed on them. On Election Day in a town in Oregon, the flag was on display at a high school pro-Trump rally. Two students were suspended for telling Hispanic classmates to, "Pack your bags; you're leaving tomorrow." Shortly after this rally, the Confederate flag was taken down.

(As a side note I would like to add that not all Trump supporters display Confederate flags in support.)

As a white man living in America, I have witnessed acts of racism on many occasions. The way men talk to one another behind closed doors is disgusting and I have told several other men off on occasion when they try and iterate a racist statement to me about another individual. Even white American women say nasty and horrible things just to tear down women of color.

My personal beliefs about the Confederate flag stand with many others views. The flag belongs in the history books. Yes, it is an important part of our history as a country but not in a way of Southern pride. Ku Klux Klan members used this flag as their banner, many still use it as a way to speak out and say, “Your kind isn’t welcomed here.” It is a symbol of hate and has been for many years and should not be on display in schools with impressionable minds. We are living in 2018 and the fact that the Confederate flag is still a controversial topic is beyond me.