Some say taking the Confederate flag down means nothing because we have other problems. They are wrong. This is a huge victory.
Symbols matter. Racist symbols matter especially. Racist symbols displayed at public institutions matter most of all.
First, a little history about the origin of the South Carolina Confederate flag.
I've done a lot of research on the history of the resurgence of the Confederate flag in the '50s (people split hairs about what it's called and what it meant. We all know which flag we're talking about), and it's really amazing how racist all the circumstances were. I'm tired of hearing about heritage.
I recently found the story of why the flag was flown above the South Carolina statehouse. Basically, Congress created The American Civil War Centennial Commission in the late ‘50s to commemorate the Civil War. All 48 states participated, and each state’s participation was left up to each state individually. Bad idea.
South Carolina used it as an excuse to refight the war during the Civil Rights era, and the Confederate flag was flown. There was to be a national meeting of the commission in Charleston, with national delegates attending. And then this happened:
The centennial delegations from New Jersey and Missouri included blacks who were refused entrance to the segregated Francis Marion Hotel, where the events were to be held. The South Carolina hosts refused to allow the black delegates to participate. In response, the Charleston NAACP organized protests.
The situation was only partially resolved when President John F. Kennedy issued an executive order moving the centennial meetings to the Charleston Navy Base, one of the few integrated facilities in town. South Carolina led the South in leaving the national commission, and holding its own segregated events in the hotel.
South Carolina seceded again. And that racist flag has flown ever since.
As progressives, we can fight against policies that disproportionally affect African Americans in a negative way and also try to take down the symbols of institutionalized racism that are displayed prominently throughout the whole South. If taking the flag down didn't matter, why have conservatives fought so hard for 60 years to keep it up? Because they know that it's a mind game. Those symbols say, "Know your place."
This flag (and others) flew over the South to deny freedom to 1/3 of its citizens. They lost.
This flag flew over the South to deny desegregation. They lost.
This flag flew over the South to deny interracial marriage. They lost.
If someone says taking the flag down doesn't matter, you show them this video. It matters, especially to those African Americans who have lived under it their whole lives. No more.
2:24 PM PT: Thanks so much for the recs. I appreciate your reactions to the flag coming down and the empathy for Ms. McGill.
From the comments:
A group of us walked down to join the crowd a few minutes before 10 am. With few exceptions (i.e., the two guys parading around with Confederate and upside down American flags), the mood of everyone was joyous and hopeful. Looking at the many families with children, I could tell this was one of those moments that parents wanted them to remember forever and tell their own children about. When the flag finally started lowering, there was cheering and crying from both the African-American and the white spectators. I don't know how long the hopeful mood will last, and I expect any real change will come slowly. I do know, though, that moment was something special.—scyellowdogdem
3:48 PM PT: I found a better video where Ms. McGill talks a little more so I replaced the first one. Definitely give the video a look again if you've come back.
Another comment:
I am another African American who cried seeing that flag come down. For those who say "it's just a symbol" as if symbols don't matter, think about the real soul searching, and psychological evolution that had to have occurred for this to be accomplished. Many of those who now favor removing the flag had previously fought for it to remain. Sure, some of it is political but much of it is heart felt. It shouldn't have taken the senseless deaths of nine innocent people to move some people to evolve on this issue but the reality is that it did. I believe people can change because I have experienced it and the Confederate battle flag coming down reflects and is a result of SOME attitudes changing.
—Freewoman19