I was born and raised in the South, and proud of it. I am equally proud of my Czech, Scottish,
Irish, and Welsh heritage. I am proud of
the legacy left to me by my grandparents, from Texas, Oklahoma, and
Alabama. My husband, born and raised in
California, is proud of his Mexican heritage.
But at the end of the day, we are AMERICANS, first and quite frankly,
only.
The truth of the matter is, whether you think it’s fair or
not, PERCEPTION IS REALITY. If people perceive
a Confederate Battle flag as hurtful, then it hurts. If that flag has been perverted by some
outspoken racist bigots and fools to represent hate, then it represents hate. Why, oh why, would we intentionally try to
hurt and show hatred towards our fellow humans when we know that is how they perceive
it? This country is full of history of
lots of people, some of it wonderful and brave and courageous and strong. Some of it, we shake our heads with shame and
wonder. But while it is good and wise to
understand and learn from our mutual history, why would we show disrespect to
our brothers and sisters by flying and displaying things that cause pain and
division? Is there not enough
divisiveness already?
I am Southern and always will be. This does not make me racist. A region does not define a person’s love or
hate. The level of melanin in your
complexion doesn’t make you better or worse.
It’s good to be proud of your ancestry and the area where you grew
up. But you can have pride and still
have kindness and character.
Now, I understand fully that a flag such as our (ALL our!)
national flag, The Star Spangled Banner, carries a lot of pride and power and
symbolizes so much that soldiers are willing to lay down their lives for it,
and have been for centuries. But… is a
piece of fabric the sole way to define the pride of your heritage and
ancestry? Is a piece of fabric worth
causing pain and division among citizens that share this amazing country? I wholly believe the only flags that should
be flown at governmental buildings are that of the country and the state. I don’t think the Mexican flag should be
flown on governmental properties in California or Texas or Arizona. I don’t believe a Confederate flag should be
flown in South Carolina or any other state of the union at a governmental
building.
We have museums. We
remember and honor and cringe at our mutual history, as we should. We are Americans. Let’s be Americans who show respect to one
another. Let’s be Americans who have
pride without hate. Let’s be Americans
who show love and forgiveness.
