Flag Issue Pivotal for Race Relations
By Brother Rogers
In his famous 1963 speech at the Lincoln Memorial, Martin Luther King said, “I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi…will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.”
On April 17, 2001, our state will have a chance to take a giant step toward realizing Dr. King's dream by voting for a new state flag. Without a doubt, the most important issue for race relations this year is the state flag. The current flag with the Confederate battle emblem must be honored in a museum, but it should not be the symbol of today’s Mississippi.
I understand those whites who value their heritage and do not want to change. My grandmother’s grandfather, who was from right here in Oktibbeha County, fought in the Civil War. Unfortunately, we who value our history and heritage allowed the Confederate battle flag to be adopted by groups that foster hate and division. Regrettably, the flag once associated with Southern valor is now widely recognized throughout America as a symbol of racism. That’s why Ole Miss discontinued its support for the emblem at sporting events.
Mississippi does not need a racist symbol in its official state flag. The violence and intimidation employed by Southern whites during the civil rights movement was harshest in Mississippi. At the time, many whites were embarrassingly silent if not outwardly defiant. Not just the extremists, but “respectable” people - bankers, business leaders, lawyers, ministers and so forth - turned a blind eye to the injustice around them.
The verdict of history is in. The effort to achieve equal rights for all our citizens was morally right. Those who opposed this effort were wrong.
Now we are faced with another chance to do the right thing by adopting a new state flag. White Mississippians especially should be grateful for this chance to prove our moral and spiritual maturity. We carry the burden of creating Mississippi's negative image, and we have a special obligation to change it.
The upcoming vote on a new flag is a momentous event in Mississippi history. Not only will the eyes of the nation be on our state, but also the judgment of future generations. Our children and their children will either be grateful to us for doing the right thing, or they will look back with regret at this missed opportunity that bequeathed the problem to them.
People ask me from time to time what one person can do to strengthen race relations. The answer is simple. Vote for a new state flag. Rarely have so many been able to do so much with such little effort to improve the image of Mississippi outside the state and right historical wrongs within the state.
Symbols are important. Our state flag is a symbol of the kind of people we are. I am tired of being the national scapegoat when it comes to race relations. We are not the backward racist society portrayed by others. The Mississippi I know is full of people who are kind, just, fair, and loving - in short, the best people in the world. It is time that our state flag reflects this reality.
In his famous 1963 speech at the Lincoln Memorial, Martin Luther King said, “I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi…will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.”
On April 17, 2001, our state will have a chance to take a giant step toward realizing Dr. King's dream by voting for a new state flag. Without a doubt, the most important issue for race relations this year is the state flag. The current flag with the Confederate battle emblem must be honored in a museum, but it should not be the symbol of today’s Mississippi.
I understand those whites who value their heritage and do not want to change. My grandmother’s grandfather, who was from right here in Oktibbeha County, fought in the Civil War. Unfortunately, we who value our history and heritage allowed the Confederate battle flag to be adopted by groups that foster hate and division. Regrettably, the flag once associated with Southern valor is now widely recognized throughout America as a symbol of racism. That’s why Ole Miss discontinued its support for the emblem at sporting events.
Mississippi does not need a racist symbol in its official state flag. The violence and intimidation employed by Southern whites during the civil rights movement was harshest in Mississippi. At the time, many whites were embarrassingly silent if not outwardly defiant. Not just the extremists, but “respectable” people - bankers, business leaders, lawyers, ministers and so forth - turned a blind eye to the injustice around them.
The verdict of history is in. The effort to achieve equal rights for all our citizens was morally right. Those who opposed this effort were wrong.
Now we are faced with another chance to do the right thing by adopting a new state flag. White Mississippians especially should be grateful for this chance to prove our moral and spiritual maturity. We carry the burden of creating Mississippi's negative image, and we have a special obligation to change it.
The upcoming vote on a new flag is a momentous event in Mississippi history. Not only will the eyes of the nation be on our state, but also the judgment of future generations. Our children and their children will either be grateful to us for doing the right thing, or they will look back with regret at this missed opportunity that bequeathed the problem to them.
People ask me from time to time what one person can do to strengthen race relations. The answer is simple. Vote for a new state flag. Rarely have so many been able to do so much with such little effort to improve the image of Mississippi outside the state and right historical wrongs within the state.
Symbols are important. Our state flag is a symbol of the kind of people we are. I am tired of being the national scapegoat when it comes to race relations. We are not the backward racist society portrayed by others. The Mississippi I know is full of people who are kind, just, fair, and loving - in short, the best people in the world. It is time that our state flag reflects this reality.