The Confederate Flag: To Fly or Not to Fly
Thursday, February 03, 2011
By Paige McCormick
There is much hype as to why the Rebel Flag is still allowed to be flown over some schools and homes; much of this coming from a wide group of people who need a good history lesson. I am writing this article to explain to you why we do what we do as “Rebel” representatives. I do not intend to offend any person through statements within this article.
The Confederate Flag is believed to be a symbol of racism towards African Americans. The history of this flag has absolutely nothing to do with what it has come to be perceived as. When the Confederate states adopted this flag, they used it to represent their half of the nation in the Civil War, which did not originate due to slavery issues.
The extremist group, Ku Klux Klan, adopted the flag as their representation of hatred towards African Americans. If one group chose to desecrate a symbol of strength and power, why should it later be perceived as a symbol of racism and hatred? Most citizens of southern states completely disagreed with African American hate groups, but still supported the use of the Rebel Flag when representing the south in the Civil War.
A family member of mine was a teacher at Grayridge Elementary School during the merge of the Essex and Grayridge school systems. She once told me that the Rebel Man was selected because it represents our “southern” town and the good-hearted feel of the people. These people who would fight for what they felt they needed as the Confederates did.
I am not denying that slavery was an issue during the Civil War, but our flag was not created to offend anyone, it was created to represent something that is believed strongly in the hearts of people who are willing to fight for what they want. Our “Rebel Pride” is never going to burn out, and will hopefully never be taken away because of a false conception.