Byers: Confederate soldiers should be honored, but not this way

As a lifelong South Carolinian, I believe some things need to be said before we remove the Confederate flag from the State House grounds.

Yes, the catalyst for the Civil War was slavery; there never would have been a war without it. But only about 5 percent of Southerners ever owned slaves. A small minority of upper-class plantation owners led the initiative for secession; poorer Southerners volunteered to fight because they resented the Yankees telling them what to do.

So it’s proper to keep the monuments to Confederate soldiers. We should always honor the military who took up arms in defense of our country, whether or not history judges the cause to have been worth the sacrifice.

In my own lifetime, people have debated whether we should have participated in the Vietnam and the Iraq wars. Anti-war protesters spit on returning Vietnam vets and called them “baby killers.” As a Vietnam veteran, I know how it feels to hear people say the war you fought in was wrong. But as a 22-year-old in 1968, I had nothing to do with the decision to go to war

The same is true for Confederate soldiers. Most never owned slaves and were not involved in the decision to secede from the union; they volunteered to defend their state.

For the folks who want to keep the flag flying, try this: Sit down in a quiet room, alone, for 15 minutes. Imagine you are a black person. What would you feel every time you saw the Confederate flag waving on the State House grounds? Consider the question thoughtfully, and be honest with yourself. Symbols are powerful.

It seems like tension between the races is getting worse, not better. Taking the flag down is not a silver bullet, but is it an important piece of the puzzle. Symbols are powerful.

My hope is that we all take the example of the people of Charleston and move forward toward a more positive future. I don’t want things continuing to get worse for my grandchildren.

Columbia

This story was originally published June 29, 2015 at 7:34 PM.