Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell recently issued a proclamation recognizing April as Confederate History Month. Upon hearing this, I was utterly taken aback. Why would any state dedicate an entire month to the celebration of confederate history?

In my state of awe after hearing of the governor’s proclamation, I began to wonder which, if any, other states already had a month dedicated to confederate history. In my search I found that several states do in fact have a confederate history month. Lo and behold, Alabama was among the states to have one. In April 2005, Gov. Bob Riley issued a similar proclamation as Virginia’s governor, declaring April Confederate History and Heritage Month.

Again, what is the purpose of dedicating a month or even a day to the celebration confederate history and heritage? I ask this question knowing that it is not unusual to dedicate individual days, weeks or months to a certain cause.

I simply ask what cause a statewide remembrance and celebration of confederate history and heritage stands to serve.

I am steadfast in the belief that governmental recognition of this era in our history is a blatant attempt to maintain the institution of racism in this country. Some will argue that Confederate history month has nothing to do with slavery, but is a remembrance of our ancestors and celebration of our heritage.

I will agree that this month is indeed a celebration of ancestry and heritage, but I will not agree that slavery and Confederate history have nothing to do with each other. Slavery is intertwined with Confederate history and heritage. The two cannot be separated.

The fact that those who support this month attempt to separate the two has many grave implications. One being that racism is still very much alive, well and rampant within our culture.

Knowledge of history is a great thing and a necessity in understanding society in present day, but we must not work to perpetuate ideas and values that disable us from moving forward as a people in a positive direction. If we truly wish for a better tomorrow, we must be ready to leave the failed ideas of yesterday behind.

Devon Morrisette is a sophomore majoring in interdisciplinary studies.