Morgan Freeman, Jimmy Buffett and former Mississippi state Rep. John Grisham all signed a letter published Aug. 16 calling for Mississippi to remove the Confederate flag from its state flag.
The question is how far will taking down the Confederate flag go? Will it stop at removing it from government buildings and state flags? Or is this the beginning?
In the wake of the Charleston church shooting, TV Land took reruns of “The Dukes of Hazzard” off the air presumably because of the flag on the main characters’ iconic car.
Ben Jones, who played Cooter the mechanic on the show, said in a Facebook post, “That flag on top of The General Lee made a statement that the values of the rural south were the values of courage and family and good times.”
I have never seen a Confederate flag and thought, “I hate black people.”
A Confederate flag brings me back to cooking with my mama while listening to Reba McEntire and Loretta Lynn. I think about getting into trouble for not wearing shoes as a kid and still hating them as an adult.
All the flag brings to mind is good memories of growing up southern, and I take a lot of pride in that.
Unfortunately, not all those waving the Confederate flag do it for heritage. There are those who make it hateful and disrespect what the flag truly represents — pride and respect of history.
The Civil War is a part of American history. Historians don’t dispute the fact that the Civil War was fought to preserve slavery. Southerners of the period supported slavery, but not every person with a Confederate flag does now.
The stars and bars was not at any time the official flag of the Confederate States of America. Back then it was a battle flag, and now it is a symbol for the South to identify itself. It brings the South together and creates a strong bond.
Civil War re-enactors such as Lee Houser and Scott Wilson respect the history and heritage of the flag. Both condemn white supremacists who use the flag for racism and hate.
“If I could take the flag away from the KKK, I would tomorrow, in a heartbeat,” Houser said in an interview with CBS News.
“Sometimes people pervert it and use it for other things, which is an injustice,” Wilson said.
Houser said the re-enactments and the flag are a way of remembering his family. He had ancestors on the Confederate side, who he honors by flying the flag.
Just because the flag is offensive to some doesn’t justify removing it from memorials, private property or even television. Proud southerners should not be stopped or shamed for displaying the flag or enjoying a show displaying it. It is cherished by many and honored as a symbol of where the South was and who southerners are.
Caitlyn Atkinson is an 18-year-old mass communication sophomore from Pride, Louisiana. You can reach her on Twitter @catkin105.