Thursday letters: Sad fact is Confederate flag must be removed

The Confederate flag to me has represented the South, its culture, traditions and the type of people we Southerners are, both black and white: We are different. We are a gregarious sort who like to hang out, drink beer and tell stories. We don’t need a country club; a shade tree in someone’s backyard will do.

We all know that the flag came about as a result of the Civil War, of which slavery was a major issue, but the South was agrarian and so very different from the industrial north; our ancestors felt threatened.

I hate that hate groups and other stupid people have hijacked the Confederate flag to represent their bigoted cause and that the flag was not taken down from the State House after the one year, as originally intended. I understand that it has taken on a bad meaning for African-Americans, and I respect that. I wish it could be different, but it isn’t, and for that reason it doesn’t belong in a prominent place on the State House grounds. It must come down.

I have ancestors who were very poor, never owned slaves but fought in the Civil War because they were Southerners. Fortunately we in America have come a long way in our attitudes. At least most have.

I would like to display or fly the Confederate flag on occasion to honor my ancestors and the South generally, but I am not sure I should, and I am really sad about that.

Columbia

This story was originally published July 8, 2015 at 7:06 PM.