Posted on 05/13/2003 4:37:33 PM PDT by stainlessbanner
Heritage, or just another symbol of oppression?
History, or an offensive image?
Last week, the statue of Jefferson Davis that has stood in the Capitol Rotunda in Frankfort since 1936 came into question from black leaders claiming the image of the Confederate president was offensive.
"This is a seat of government in Kentucky, and I think he's out of place here," former state Sen. Georgia Powers told The Associated Press.
As this controversy over Confederate symbolism began last week, another was coming to a close in Georgia. After months of wrangling in the state legislature in Atlanta, lawmakers approved, and the governor signed into law, a new design for the state flag that completely removed the Rebel "X" from the banner.
Many Southerners defend Confederate symbolism as heritage, while many in the black community claim such images are purely offensive. The two images in question here -- that of a former Confederate leader and an emblem that remains the most recognizable reminder of Dixie -- have stirred debate for years.
But perhaps the comparisons should be examined a bit closer.
The Confederate battle flag, with its blue "X" and white stars on a field of red, has a history of association with hate. The Ku Klux Klan have used the flag as a personal banner at rallies, marches and other hate filled activities. Individual actions of hate against blacks have not been void of the flag either.
The flag itself is hardly a symbol of hate, but its association with the horrors of slavery and hate-crimes over the years should call for more discretion in its display.
While other states like Georgia have opted to distance themselves from the emblem, it continues to be incorporated in Mississippi's state flag. Though the banner no longer flies over the South Carolina Capitol, it is flown on its grounds in commemoration to Confederate soldiers. Across the South, it is flown from vehicles and on personal property.
Each time the Confederate flag is flown, it represents a measure of disregard for the suffering and oppression it may mean to blacks.
Jefferson Davis, on the other hand, was once a proud American who served his country in both the military and politics. The Christian County native was more than the chosen leader of the Confederate States of America. He, in fact, was not a hater of blacks or staunch supporter of secession from the Union by Southern states.
His place in Kentucky history is deserving of recognition.
Born in 1808 in then Davisburg (marked with an obelisk monument in what is now called Fairview in Todd County), the West Point graduate Davis served the U.S. military with distinction in the Black Hawk and Mexican wars. He also attended college at Transylvania in Kentucky and was married in Louisville. As a U.S. Senator and Congressman from Mississippi, he worked to mend the growing chasm between the interests of northern and southern states.
His pre Civil War resume would certainly lend consideration for placing his image among the statues of other great Kentuckians found in the Capitol's Rotunda Abraham Lincoln, Henry Clay, Alben Barkley and Ephriam McDowell. However, it is his reluctantly accepted leadership of the Confederacy in the Civil War thats taint his contributions among the black community.
"It's offensive," Raoul Cunningham, a former head of voter empowerment for the state NAACP, told AP last week of Davis' statue in the Capitol. "Even in the days when he was alive, this state did not follow him. So why do we honor him today?"
We honor him for his contributions to the growth and strength of a nation that ultimately helped bring America through its darkest days. The Rebel flag, to the contrary, has never contributed to betterment of the United States.
If the men that helped shape this nation are not deserving of monuments to their contributions because of chinks in their armor, then The Mall in Washington, D.C., and other hallowed memorials to our forefathers would be very bare indeed.
The future may be better served by examining our history as a whole rather than focusing on what we deem not to our liking.
Daryl K. Tabor is the news editor for the Kentucky New Era. His column runs every Monday. He can be reached at 887-3262 or dtabor@kentuckynewera.com.
On the other hand, I am aware that many blacks view the Confederate flag in the same manner that the Jews view the Nazi swastika flag. The flag reminds of a time when their people were enslaved and repressed, often brutalized and sometimes murdered (lynched). I can understand that. I can understand why so many of them get angry when it is displayed. For that reason, out of respect for my fellow Americans who are black, I will never make a public display myself of the Confederate flag. Others may do as they will. It is after all, the United States of America, and we should be free to fly whatever flag we want.
Good for you. Now go down the street and get the good Methodists to show some respect, too!
WHERE DO YOU DRAW THE LINE???? Not until history is completely erased will these people be happy, and only then, the world will be fully prepared and able to repeat its mistakes.
Walt
Sort of like your personality Wlat.
But....you are treasure(sacred cow actually) here to be preserved by the PTB. You're special.
Without taking any position on the retention or removal of this statue, I can distinguish between a decision to quit using the statue as a contemporary symbol and a decision to erase history.
Can't you?
Maybe you ought to spend more time reading my reply. As I said, the Confederate flag doesn't bother me in the least.
What about the 40% of Mississippi blacks who voted to keep our flag.
If Mississippi want to fly the Confederate flag, it's fine by me. I couldn't care less if it flew on every doorstep in Mississippi. Go for it.
This flag was not an issue until the folks you are by default supporting started making it one 15 or so years ago.
Who are these folks I am "by default" supporting? The black people? Well they are Americans too. If they are offended by this flag, shouldn't their voices be heard?
Equivocating Nazism and slavery is tomfoolery and discredits the Holocaust victims.
It's not I who makes the comparison. I have heard many blacks make it though. I can agree that slavery, as it was practiced in America, was not in the same ballbark as the Nazis rounding up millions of Jews and gassing them to death. But that doesn't mean that black people don't feel bitter about slavery nevertheless. Personally, I think they should get over it. There is not a black person alive today who was a slave and I don't think any are still alive who had a parent who was a slave. But in fifty years, we'll be saying that about the Jews too.
The fact is that many blacks find the Confederate flag offensive. They feel it is a reminder of the days when they were held in bondage by white Americans. You may disagree with them feeling this way, but it doesn't change the fact that for whatever reason, they are offended by it. And I simply choose not to inflame the situation by displaying it myself. That is my choice and you have your choice to make. This is what America is all about.
I've been assuming that this decision is going to have to be made in Kentucky by the citizens and government of Kentucky.
Am I wrong about that, too?
Best of luck!
What high ground is that? I don't understand that statement at all.
The fight against Southern Heritage/History is being led by PC liberals of all colors. It is used as a diversion from the real issues confronting black America and to take the heat off their own failures.
For the second time, I will state that I couldn't care less if the Confederate flag was flown on every doorstep. That is a personal decision that each American is free to make. Just as one should not be criticized for flying the flag, one should not be criticized for not flying the flag as you seem to be doing. Even if the reason is simply not wanting to offend others.
Certainly there are no New England "yankees" with any power to change what goes on down in Kentucky or Mississippi. Hell, you should consider yourself blessed. I have to deal with these PC liberal fools on a daily basis up here in Massachusetts. They won't even let us put a Nativity Scene in the town square anymore at Christmas time. If things continue as they are, I'm moving to Alabama one of these days. And don't worry, I don't have any inclinations to fight against displays of Southern Heritage/History.
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