Wednesday letters: Embrace SC heritage of dignity, equality; remove Confederate flag

By murdering nine members of Mother Emanuel A.M.E. Church, Dylann Roof tried to start a race war. Instead, his act of hate has united blacks and whites across our state. Many South Carolinians have called on the General Assembly to take down the Confederate flag at the State House.

No doubt some citizens and legislators will hesitate. The flag, they assert, represents heritage, not hate.

If by heritage they mean that Confederate soldiers fought to defend their homes and families, those soldiers should be honored. For that purpose, the monument to the Confederate Soldier was erected in 1879. The flag was added in 2000. It symbolizes the Confederacy and the reasons for which the South seceded. It reminds many South Carolinians of wrongs suffered, and others of wrongs committed. Sadly, the flag incites some to hatred.

The heritage that I believe most South Carolinians want to pass to their children is a state in which the dignity and equality of all people is respected, regardless of race. To honor the nine who died in Charleston and to unite the people of South Carolina, I ask that our representatives in the General Assembly take down the flag.

Columbia

This story was originally published June 23, 2015 at 7:36 PM.