Confederate flag at South Carolina Capitol
As thousands of people across the nation
begin calling for the removal of the Confederate flag in South Carolina, many conservatives who value or love it wonder if removing the flag is a slippery slope. If it's removed because people believe it stands for racism, what's next, they wonder.
The flag is just one of several monuments that includes a statue of one-time segregationist Sen. Strom Thurmond and Ben Tillman, who sought to disenfranchise black citizens while he was governor. A stone marks the site of the state house before Sherman's troops burned it the ground during the Civil War.
"What's the difference between the flag and the monument," Sullivan asked. "That's what people are upset about now, but what about later?"
This is a very legitimate question. What about later?
The truth is this: The United States simply has not come to grips with its racist past. Across our nation, men who owned other human beings—and even raped the human beings they owned—are revered as leaders. These are men who fought hard to keep Africans enslaved in America and have monuments throughout the South, while men who slaughtered Native Americans are celebrated, and sports teams with racially offensive mascots and logos are allowed. This list could go on and on and on.
Should how we treat Thomas Jefferson and George Washington be up for debate? Yes.
Should how we treat Christopher Columbus be up for debate? Definitely.
Should we debate the presence of monuments to Confederate leaders who are on record as stating they would die to keep Africans enslaved in America? Yeah.
It is a slippery slope, but it's a necessary one. For far too long, the United States government has been fully willing to celebrate individuals regardless of the horrendous role they played in the lives of African Americans, Native Americans, women, and other people of color. This is not okay.
It's time for us to put it all on the table. We can do better.