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Video: Black College Student Byron Thomas Hangs Confederate Flag in Dorm Room
Byron Thomas, a 19-year-old black student at the University of South Carolina Beaufort, has drawn complaints for hanging a Confederate flag in his dorm room window. He saw the flag, flown by the South during slavery, as a symbol of Southern pride, not racism.
Thomas took the flag down at the university's request, but said he's considering putting it back up. In a video, he posted online (below), Thomas acknowledges: "I know it's kind of weird because I'm black."
He said a class research project made him come to the belief that the flag's real meaning has been hijacked: "When I look at this flag, I don't see racism. I see respect, Southern pride. This flag was seen as a communication symbol" during the Civil War.
He said university officials asked him to take the banner down just before Thanksgiving after students and parents complained during campus tours, but have since told him he can put it back up.
Thomas said his generation can eliminate the flag's negative power by adopting the banner as a symbol of Southern pride: "I've been getting a lot of support from people. My generation is interested in freedom of speech."
But Thomas added that his parents don't like the flag: "I don't want to make my parents mad. I may wait until Monday to put it up."
Thomas said he doesn't like the term "African-American," which makes him feel like "a half-citizen," since he wasn't born in Africa.
Thomas' roommate Blane Reed, who is white, said that he never heard any complaints after Thomas put the flag up shortly after Labor Day.
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Comments
I can see Confederate
I can see Confederate apologists using this one young African-American man's decision to fly the Confederate flag, as saying the flag wasn't about slavery or racism. But this flag arised from a region that seceded not over some ambigious concept of "states' rights" or tariffs, but slavery. Indeed, it is in the state constituitons of the would be Confederacy, that they seceded to preserve and maintain slavery. The quotes of COnfederate founding fathers are all supportative of slavery. The whole purpose of the Confederacy was to preserve slavery. To use the Confederate flag as a symbol of Southern heritage is to use the Nazi Swastiska as a symbol of German pride. I was born in Houston, TX. I am aware of the idelogy that many Southerners grow up with, but that doesn't make it right.
Jerome McCollom
I can see Confederate
I can see Confederate apologists using this one young African-American man's decision to fly the Confederate flag, as saying the flag wasn't about slavery or racism. But this flag arised from a region that seceded not over some ambigious concept of "states' rights" or tariffs, but slavery. Indeed, it is in the state constituitons of the would be Confederacy, that they seceded to preserve and maintain slavery. The quotes of COnfederate founding fathers are all supportative of slavery. The whole purpose of the Confederacy was to preserve slavery. To use the Confederate flag as a symbol of Southern heritage is to use the Nazi Swastiska as a symbol of German pride. I was born in Houston, TX. I am aware of the idelogy that many Southerners grow up with, but that doesn't make it right.
Jerome McCollom
This is nonsense. The 'war'
This is nonsense. The 'war' started in 1861. The Emancipation Proclamation was issued in 1863. The war ended in April 1865. The 13th amendment was passed in December 1865. Prior to Dec 1865, work on the dome of the U.S. Capitol was completed by slaves.
To make matters worse, Lincoln was a member of an Illinois group whose function was to book passage for freed slaves back to Africa. If any of his ilk wanted to free the blacks, it was so they could be deported expeditiously.
Did some Southerners want slavery to continue? Almost certainly. Would they have had their way into the 20th century? Almost certainly not. The mechanization of agriculture was about to render any illiterate, uncommitted working population redundant. Human chattel slavery was a losing proposition for the long run.
Further, less than 50 years prior, the British Empire had outlawed slavery and bought the freedom of their slave population for cash. That would arguably have been a cheaper alternative than 620,000 American dead. Lincoln wouldn't do it that way because it would have COST money instead of bringing in money from the Southern cash cow.
.
.
Jerome McCollom
My ex wife and I had a few
My ex wife and I had a few songs that we played a lot. Since Ive been remarried those songs have been taboo for me. But the last couple years Ive been purposely listening to them because I love those songs because they are GOOD music. Im not going to let my OLD married destroy something I enjoy.
By the same token if Byron wants to help get rid of a stigma against the flag I say more power to him !
Unless you're Luke Duke, Bo
Unless you're Luke Duke, Bo Duke or Daisy Duke you don't need to fly that flag.
Who the hell are YOU to tell
Who the hell are YOU to tell someone else what they 'need' to do?
Great job Byron!Amidst your
Great job Byron!Amidst your color and your race you still have the pride and courage to stand in your own idea of nationalism.Your confederate flag never fears you to be a shame where you came from.And take note, your just a student and I believe every other citizen must be like you.I know the hard days and bad times during school days.And I know your going through this also.Going to college seems to be a necessity now to get a job. University is not cheap. You need a lot of additional cash to do it. After paying tuition, occasionally money can get a little tight now and then. With a lot of hard work and an installment loan now and then, you don’t have to worry too much about this. You do not have to pay everything back on your next paycheck. Instead, you are able to pay it back over time with an installment loan. You really should know more.And yet you do your part of raising your flag tall and proud.
Learn more at: https://personalmoneynetwork.com/payday-loans/
The negative reaction to the
The negative reaction to the Stars and Bars arises from the (incorrect) notion that the U.S. Civil War (the War of Northern Aggression ;-) or The War For Southern Independence ;-) was fought over the issue of slavery. This is nonsense. The 'war' started in 1861. The Emancipation Proclamation was issued in 1863. The war ended in April 1865. The 13th amendment was passed in December 1865. Do the math.
Byron Thomas is more correct than any of his critics.
If not for slavery the South
If not for slavery the South would have never seceded. It is an utter sleight of hand to say the war wasn't about slavery, so that's that. If not for slavery there would have never been a war in the first place. The idea that the South seceded over tarrif's, for example, would be as stupid as to say the Germans invaded Russia in order to get their vodka.
Jerome McCollom
The power that flag has, is
The power that flag has, is only the power one grants it!
It would be wonderful if
It would be wonderful if black and white southerners _did_ come together over southern pride, but to me, the question of flying the confederate flag comes down to a difficult dilemma as to whether the justifiable desire to annoy northern liberals is important enough to risk hurting the feelings of southern blacks.
I understand white people flying it out of southern pride and not racism, but they have a tradition of flying it. Nevertheless, it has frequently been used by racists, so I would not have expected black people be willing to overlook that.