Pride has been a word on everyone’s lips this week and for several reasons. In a landmark decision the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution guarantees a national right to same-sex marriage. The rainbow colors of pride, equality and acceptancehave flooded Facebook andnationalmonuments.The flag has been waved proudly in marches throughoutthe country on Gay Pride Day.
I’m happy for my friends whose lives are positively impacted. I am also respectful of those whose personal or religious beliefs cannot accept it. We live in a nation of freedom of speech and – more now than ever- freedomof choice.
This same week a symbol ofsouthern pride, the Confederate flag, has unfurled a flurry of reactionsfollowing the tragic shootingsat a prayer meeting atEmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, SC. A photograph of the murderer holding a Confederate flag was widely circulated.
Growing up in the South I understood the Confederate flag to be an historical symbol of the War Between the States.But Ialso grew used to seeing the Confederate flag on merchandise in souvenirgift shops, as well as shelves stocked with Mammy dolls and images oflittle black boys sucking on slices of watermelon. They all became pieces of southern kitsch and not much more. “Dixie” is still a beloved anthem in thesouth and it always will be.
But this week made me more sensitive to whatthe sight of a raised Confederate flag and related imagery could meanto someone of African American descent. As someone withJewish heritageI’d be uneasyseeing a flag bearinga swastika, which sadly still happens.I’m growing more uneasy each time I see ISIS militants waving theirflag becauseI fear where it can lead.
Flags can be strongsymbols of peace and pride, power or hate, independence or dominance. What I’ve learned from this week is the importance of pride and respect for peoples’ beliefs, whether you agree or not. I’ve also learned freedom of speech and the right to choicedonot mean unleashing a torrent of disparagingcomments, supportingbigotry or choosing to act unlawfully to harm another person.
This July 4th the American will be waved at events around the nation, and we remember what our Founding Fathers fought for: independence to become our own sovereign nation with inalienable rights. I share this sentence from the Declaration of Independence to drive home the principles for which so many people still continue to fight for today:
“Flag of the United States”. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikipedia –
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.
Hopefully the lessons learned will be that history bears respecting but not necessarily repeating. Symbols and stories of the past are foundations that help shape and build our present and future. Times change and we have to adjust to keep up. Life, liberty and especially the pursuit of happiness mean many things to different people, but we all want the right to choose and define our terms of happiness . Flags are easierto pack up and switch out, butclosed minds are sometimes harder to open.
Do you feel images of theConfederacyflag imagesshouldbe removed from shelves and displays? Please share your thoughts at my page,facebook.com/fearlessfabulousmelanie, or in the comments section of this blog.
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Have a Happy and Safe Fourth of July!
