Racism In Neighbors

Although we are no longer in the 19th century, hate crimes are still much alive in the 21st century. In late August, early September 2006, an African American student of Jena High School located in Jena, Louisiana asked if he could sit under a tree on campus that was commonly known for only white students to sit under (Christie, 2008). The very next day after the African American student sat under that specific tree, three nooses were hanging from the tree. The school principal of Jena High School found out that three white students were responsible for this incident. Even though expulsion was recommended for the three white students, the superintendent of the school only suspended them for three days.

Imagine walking through a town plaza and suddenly spotting a bust depicting Adolf Hitler, or a statue of a Nazi Swastika. A passerby may stare in horror upon its recognition, and wonder why a symbol of such hatred and violence is displayed prominently in a town. These statues would incite an uproar and immediate demands to remove such offensive monuments. Thankfully, such a situation would never arise in modern America; however, a similar plight is unfolding across the country concerning the removal of Confederate statues. Confederate statues should not be displayed in public areas because they are reminders of a time when racial violence went unpunished, they are honoring people who wanted to keep other

Dabney is an African-American and European descent whose parents went to a segregated school in Virginia. His great-grandmother of three generations before him were free blacks before the Civil War, but during the war lived in fear that they would be kidnapped and forced to submit to slavery, thus living in constant fear. His grandfather of three generations before him was a white slave owner. This side of the family is where Dabney has a connection with past family members that were Confederate soldiers and members of the Virginia 1861 Secession Convention. His belief is that the Confederate flag represents the men who died at such battles like Manassas, Shiloh, and Gettysburg. He believes that the flag has been a representation of white supremacists groups in America but to deny the historical value of the Confederate flag would just be as wrong as the white supremacists. Dabney’s belief is that people cannot ignore prejudice or the symbol of prejudice by the flag, but that removing the flag from public display will not stop the white supremacists, or the prejudice that they adhere to. He believes that removing the flags would not stop the country from jailing more minorities than whites, and that this country needs to serve its people by resolving these problems with real congressional help and by cultural change and education and not by arguing over a piece of fabric.

As Winston Churchill stated, “The flags of the Confederate States of America were very important and a matter of great pride to those citizens living in the confederacy. They are also a matter of great pride for their descendants as part of their heritage and history,” but in present day, the American people are claiming the meaning of the confederate flag is hate and discrimination. In South Carolina, the confederate flag was taken down and placed in a museum after a heated debate stemming from a mass shooting of nine black churchgoers in a historical Charleston church during bible study. The shooter, Dylann Roof, was a white supremacist. A photograph of Roof emerged showing him holding a confederate flag which fueled the political flag debate. The confederate flag is at the center of the controversy over racism. Although, it was first created as an official flag of confederacy, the confederate flag has changed into what is now either a symbol of Southern heritage and pride or slavery and racism by Americans. It is time to put this flag in a museum to be honored by those it means something to and no longer stand as a reminder of the division our country once suffered, so we can move on as a nation, united.

On June 7th, 2015 nine African Americans were tragically killed at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, that following morning, 21-year-old Dylan Roof confessed to the murder while in police custody. Days later, evidence of Roof’s racism and hatred toward blacks emerged, including several pictures of him holding the confederate flag. This sparked a national debate on whether the flag should be banned, and if it was appropriate to have it hung on government buildings.

Changing attitudes and actions about the Confederate battle flag have risen since the tragedy in South Carolina with the shooting of 9 people in a church during a bible study. The confederate flag has been and is a symbol of hatred, oppression and even senseless acts of murder for many. The removal of the flag at the Capital are being called for by thousands of South Carolina protesters, politicians, both Democrats and Republicans along with South Carolina Governor, Nikki Haley. She stated, “That flag, while an integral part of our past, does not represent the future. By removing a symbol that divides us, we can move forward as a state in harmony.” Even retailers such as Wal-Mart, E-bay and Amazon stood in support by pulling merchandise with the confederate flag on it. This is an ethical decision based on moral principles and demonstrates their changing

To start, Obama is contemplating with the issue about the Confederate Flag. His way of dealing with the angulations against the Confederate Flag is to pass a bill, through Congress, stating the banishment of the Confederate Flag. According to the quote from Obama himself, “… President Obama… announced that he was signed into law an executive order banning the manufacturing, distribution, and possession, of Confederate Flag and memorabilia…” (“Obama Signs Order”. Par 1). Accordance to these gestures, is the idea that we, as a nation, have to go through a point in which, we have to ban American history, due to the reasons that our past are coming back into the present and causing unnecessary promotions. This, indeed, is causing our nation, as a whole, to lose some of our values. Secondly, after the Civil war, there was a time in which our country grew from the dark days from segregation and inequality into a better environment for everyone, but, according to the people in South Carolina, these are apparently to be prohibited. According to Obama, We are the people who united this land through equality, therefore, no one should be a target from any organization that will cause harm to them. This is in violation of the 3 rights everyone born in the U.S. has; life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness (“Obama Signs Order”. Par 2-4). Under this land, we are to be united as one and remain as one as long as whom shall live. In accommodations with the Confederate Flag, America and the people within, are losing values and inanity due to the actions perceived by and with the Confederate Flag. What, honestly, is satisfying about flying the Confederate Flag? The Confederate Flag represents a time in which other people owned other people and where there was no equality. This flag is reminiscing what life was before civil rights. Flying this flag shows that the thought of slavery was okay

The senseless murder of nine black church members by a self-proclaimed racist who feared America was being taken over by blacks (Robles, 2015), brought the community together. Soon after, images of Dylan Roof waving a Confederate flag surfaced, the conversations in Charleston turned to the lawmakers. For the victims and citizens of South Carolina, seeing the Confederate flag proudly displayed at their Statehouse was painful and

The debate over the recent mass shooting in Charleston, South Carolina has sparked a controversy involving the presence of the Confederate flag. Apparently, there is a common perception among Democrats that the Confederates are associated with racial crime and hate in America. The suspect behind the shooting in Charleston has confessed that he acted about the idea of white supremacy in the South. A large section of the American population agrees the flag is a symbol of racism since it was established in honor of white civil war soldier who wanted to preserve slavery in the region. Interestingly, the flag has remained a monumental symbol in the states and is still erected in the front of South Carolina’s state house. For years after the

People that represent the confederate flag that has done or said racists things. On June 17, 2015, Dylann Roof a 21-year-old white male from Charleston, SC went on a rampage in a black-owned church know as Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. While in the moment, Roof was yelling racist crime he had seen on a racist website from The Council of Conservative Citizens. Dylann Roof represents the confederate flag in multiple pictures that he has taken and he shot and killed 9 Men and women that were in that church and they were not a threat to him at all. Most people call it the "White Man's Flag". It is clear that that statement is pure racism there is not any other way I can put it. (William T. Thompson, 1) stated "As a people, we are

Can the same flag that symbolizes southern heritage also be a symbol of hate? In 2015, a tragic shooting occurred at the Emanuel African Methodist Church in Charlestown, South Carolina. The Charleston shooter, Dylan Roof, was charged with killing nine African-Americans. After this horrible act, he waved the confederate flag in photographs sparking an issue with the flag. Two articles were released concerning whether or not the confederate flag should be removed from the South Carolina capitol. The first article, “Take Down the Confederate Flag, Symbol of Hatred”, was released by The New York Times editorial board on June 22, 2015. This article proposed that the flag should be removed. Following the release of this article, on June 24, 2015 “Keep the Confederate Flag Flying” was released by Selwyn Duke claiming the flag should remain. In these articles, both authors incorporated persona, audience, tone and style to effectively argue whether or not the flag should remain to Americans who may side with their argument.

In an insert in Huffington Post writer Krystie Yandoli talks about the recent trip she took to South Carolina. In this trip, she has seen The Confederate Flag being hung all around. Yandoli writes, “I've heard arguments time and again about how the Confederate flag is no longer representative of slavery…But I'm really over the whole "respect

Removing the flag after all these years and what it has come to represent is what is morally right in their eyes. Jenny Anderson Horne, Republican house member from Charleston, stated, “I cannot believe that we do not have the heart in this body to do something meaningful such as take a symbol of hate off these grounds on Friday.” Horne criticizes that, it’s hard to understand how this could be a difficult decision to remove this flag that is associated with much negativity. “The Confederate flag evokes “bad memories”—in particular, memories of its use by supporters of white supremacy.”(Reed, 2002). This quote provides further thought into Horne’s statement that the Confederate flag is a negative symbol, a reminder of the past and mistreatment of African-American, and how it should morally be a simple decision to eradicate this symbol. Grady A. Brown, Democrat house member and descendent of a Confederate soldier, also supports the idea in Horne’s statement during the debate, for the flag’s removal with his own declaration. During the debate, Brown states, “I want my friends back home, on both sides of the issue, to know that I’m doing what I’m going to do, to vote to take the flag down, because I think it is, in God’s eyes, the right thing to do.” By saying this, Brown reaches out with the religious view on think

I think this is something that should have been taking care of years ago. The poll was taken after a killing in Charleston, S.C. last week which were allegedly motivated by racism. For years people said it was the Southern heritage and I remember watching the “Dukes of Hazzard “on television and seeing the Confederate Flag on its roof. Driving down the street and seeing the big pickup trucks with the Confederate Flag in the back of the window and the driver looking at you with so much hate. The Confederate Flag is just known for so much hate and something needs to be done about it soon. Removing the Confederate Flag from the Government buildings is just the first step.

The confederate flag has been an issue for many years now, and nothing has been done about it. It is undeniably a slap in the face to the African American community. The article by Libby Nelson “The Confederate Flag Symbolizes White Supremacy” is an article that is effective and many people could agree with her logic. The government should take more action to make this a public matter. It is technically legal and that is the main problem. We fought for so many years to overcome the leash they put on African Americans to become successful. The flag just represents an unpleasant past and as Americans we should not be able to broadcast that to one another.