Mike Williams, adjutant for the Sons of Confederate Veterans in the state of Alabama, carries a confederate flag past the Confederate Memorial on the state Capitol grounds in Montgomery on Wednesday after four flags were removed from the memorial. (Mickey Welsh, Montgomery Advertiser)
Re: “Charleston shootings prompt national debate beyond Confederate flag,” June 28 news story.
As a native of Georgia and longtime resident of South Carolina, I can attest to having heard “The South will rise again” spoken many times as I was growing up. I saw the Klan twice, once as a small child in Georgia and once when my wife and I saw a cross-burning on the main drag in a South Carolina town we were driving through. Still, as some of us pointed out, our ancestors rebelled against the central government of the country that they were sworn to preserve. I lived with the effects of Jim Crow laws, saw the effects of segregation firsthand and listened to stories from my black friends about what they endured.
Bottom line: we lost, and the old South will never rise again, nor should it. We are Americans in all states.
Allen Beck, Montrose
This letter was published in the July 1 edition.As I read the various responses to the controversy about the Confederate flag in South Carolina, I marvel at some of the opinions.
The symbol of the Nazi flag, for example, is indisputably offensive given Germany’s history. Is it a “part of their history”? Sure. Is it flown over government buildings, schools or monuments? No.
Symbols matter. They speak loudly to a set of values that are held by a citizenry. It is time we all took a stand about this value — slavery and oppression of an entire race are unacceptable.
Andrew Sweet, Denver
This letter was published in the July 1 edition.
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