By Taylor Paraboschi
The University hosted its sixth annual Day of Dialogue Wednesday. The 19 events held throughout the day were sponsored by the University’s Center for Civic Engagement and themed “Facing the Future Together.”
The Confederate battle flag: is it a symbol of hate or just an artifact depicting the history of the American South?
The Confederate flag and its cultural significance have been debated for decades, and it was one topic of discussion Wednesday as part of the University’s sixth annual Day of Dialogue.
A group of students and two panelists gathered in the Leo A. Guthart Cultural Center Theater to watch University professor G. Stuart Smith’s documentary, “Heritage or Hate,” and discuss the cultural significance of the flag.
The film visits multiple Southern states, illuminating the history behind the Confederate battle flag from the Civil War until today. Smith highlighted the different meanings the flag holds for different cultural groups.
The central conflict lies in opposing feelings about the flag, both of which have fiery adherents who loudly voice their opinions. On one side of the argument are Southern families whose ancestors fought and died in the Civil War.
Southern proponents of the use of the flag believe their ancestors defended their home, losing everything they hold dear in the process. Flying the Confederate battle flag is their way of paying homage to their ancestors and thanking them for the sacrifices that they made.
The other side of the spectrum say the Confederate battle flag is used as a symbol of white supremacy, flown prominently by hate groups like the Ku Klux Klan. To them, the flag serves as a painful reminder of what their ancestors suffered through, and what they continue to go through.
Minnie Jean Brown, one of the students of the “Little Rock Nine” who were escorted into school by the Arkansas National Guard at President Dwight Eisenhower’s order, despite segregation efforts, said seeing the Confederate flag flown in public places is a huge slap in the face to her, since it was one of the flags raised by the protesters at her school. “I don’t care if you fly it in your house, or on your car, but don’t fly it in a public place,” Brown said in the film.
David Trout, a panelist who is a lawyer and the author of “The Importance of Being Dangerous,” expressed feelings echoing those of Brown. “It’s hard to justify putting such a contentious symbol in the public without hurting people in the community,” he said.
Trout added that while he feels people have every right to honor their past, the memorial should be personal, and there are many other ways of doing so without offending anyone.
Krystal Brent Zook, an associate professor of journalism agreed, saying that while it is all right to want to honor your ancestors, Southerners must realize that symbols change. While the flag might once have represented a dream their ancestors fought for, it now represents feelings of slavery, lynching and hatred. “It is sad to see people want to blend the love of a family with a symbol of hate,” Zook said. “There is no reason that it should be muddled.”
The question then remained of what should be done with the symbol. Zook said wearing the flag is acceptable as long as it is not worn in a hateful manner. Zook brought up the example of a group of students in a Maryland high school who were suspended for fighting at a football game. The students then wore shirts emblazoned with Confederate flags in protest.
“You can wear it unless there is an indication of hate or violence,” Zook said. “That’s when it is not acceptable or morally correct.”