Racism is NOT just history, Racism reaches its hateful tendrils into the 21st century through HATE teaching, and through symbols that press hate into the appearance of "normalcy for America."
50 years after the March on Washington by Martin Luther King and all present, the right to VOTE is still in question for many people of color. Jobs are still not as accessible. Education system is crumbling. Jails are bloated and feeding for-profit convict labor system. Eugenics programs still sliding into the public eye from their still functioning ideals. Black male youth are STILL at much greater risk than anyone else in this country to die by guns. Poverty is still the way of life for too many people whose opportunities to climb out are enforced by both racist laws and racist practice.
Even as people hold up the memory of the march as HOPE for continued change, the HATERS are holding up the Confederate flag as PROOF that they will fight OUR hopes with all that they've got. Don't let the haters claim patriotism or historical pride is the real incentive for the Confederate flag to continue to fly.
The Civil War was NOT just about freeing the slaves, it was also about the South's "right" to legislate slavery, to arm the courts to promote it, and the "free White" to make decisions on his own behalf while stripping this right from others. It was a defiance of being told what to do, even if what they were doing was wrong.
The plan to fly the Confederate flag is NOT to share their pride, but since it is visible from the NORTH, the message is to all who enter their territories--WE down here STILL HOLD THE IDEAS IT REPRESENTS DEAR!
White Male Privilege is at the HEART of the Confederate Flag's Symbolism. America does not need to help this HATE by allowing its symbol to fly along our roads and highways. DON'T let them fly that flag as if it were an innocent thing. All the malice, pain, suffering, exploitation, death, rape, profit involved is woven into every thread of that flag. They should be BURNED, not FLOWN in America. Please sign and share.
Change.org -
Say "NO" to the I-95 Confederate Flag
By Schroeder Konaté (Contact)
To be delivered to: Virginia Flaggers
PETITION STATEMENT
As we progress through history, symbols change in meaning. Given the extreme controversy over this particular symbol, it does not serve as a positive representation of the city of Richmond, nor does it serve as a positive reminder of the South's determination to keep the institution of slavery for their profit.
The Africans who were brought by force into southern slavery passed on long ago, but their pain was very real. Give these Africans their voices back and let them speak eloquently through our voices by saying no to the hanging of this Confederate flag. We should, in this day and age, be hanging the American flag—not a flag representative of brutality for all to see while passing by Richmond on I-95. This flag does not serve to better the community as a whole, nor society.
The Africans who were brought by force into southern slavery passed on long ago, but their pain was very real. Give these Africans their voices back and let them speak eloquently through our voices by saying no to the hanging of this Confederate flag. We should, in this day and age, be hanging the American flag—not a flag representative of brutality for all to see while passing by Richmond on I-95. This flag does not serve to better the community as a whole, nor society.
Petition Background
Confederate flag will fly along I-95
A Confederate group confirmed Tuesday that it plans to fly a 10-by-15-foot Confederate flag along Interstate 95 just south of Richmond.
The flag will fly on a 50-foot pole, and will be visible from the northbound lane, said Susan Hathaway, founder of Virginia Flaggers, the group behind the flag. It's tentatively scheduled to go up Sept. 28.
A Confederate group confirmed Tuesday that it plans to fly a 10-by-15-foot Confederate flag along Interstate 95 just south of Richmond.
The flag will fly on a 50-foot pole, and will be visible from the northbound lane, said Susan Hathaway, founder of Virginia Flaggers, the group behind the flag. It's tentatively scheduled to go up Sept. 28.
http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/say-no-to-the-i-95-confedera
THE FIGHT FOR EQUALITY CONTINUES
About the Author: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/nancy-bell/30/231/855
No comments:
Post a Comment