For some, the Confederate flag is traditionally a symbol of Southern pride, but for others, it rekindles a flame of hatred. Stillman College and UA honors students presented a collaborative forum that discussed views of the meaning behind the Confederate flag.
A video presentation was shown with students’ quotes ranging from “It’s a reminder of the South” to “I think it means hate.” Historically, the Confederate flag was used during the Civil War during the years of 1861 to 1865 as the official flag of the South.
Students at the forum showcased a PowerPoint presentation with images of the Klu Klux Klan toting the flag at hate rallies – images that reflected the negative correlation of the flag.
Elishia Martin, a senior majoring in nursing at Stillman College, presented the views pertaining to the idea that the symbol of the flag represents a heritage that links the Confederate flag to Southern history.
“Some people simply feel it is a symbol of the South,” she said. “Soldiers that fought for the Confederacy were fighting to defend the states, their home and their country.”
Martin, along with other students at Stillman, became involved with this forum through a class taught at Stillman titled “The Citizen.”
Thomas Herwig, an Honors College professor, contacted the instructor at Stillman to spark the effort of the joint collaboration.
Herwig and Amira Sakr, a German student at Stillman, presented the German perspective on hate symbols.
Herwig gave an in-depth look at the origins of the swastika, which is the symbol directly associated with the genocide of the Jews during the time of Adolph Hitler.
He said, like the Confederate flag, the swastika originally had a positive connotation, but after the events of World War II would never be able to escape the negative aspects that are now associated with the symbol.
“I hope after the forum tonight people leave with an educated and academic view on what the Confederate flag actually means,” Bettye Mullen, instructor of “The Citizen” at Stillman College, said.
She said some black people think the flag simply means hate, while some white people think it means heritage. However, her personal view is that it means both.
“No matter what another person thinks the flag means, we should always remember that we should respect other’s views about it,” she said.
Lane Morrison, a senior majoring in civil engineering and a student in the University’s Honors College, presented his views and sparked discussion about the flag symbolizing hate.
“Before this course, I honestly didn’t have a strong view about the issue,” he said. “During this, I was also able to learn a lot about the history of the flag.”
The views about the flag meaning hate come from its historical uses by the Klu Klux Klan, and other groups that opposed school integration and civil rights used the flag as well.
Morrison said he feels taking the course was a great experience and he got the opportunity to work with students from all different backgrounds.
Stillman College and the University have worked together on projects in the past two years said Linda Bradford, director of Stillman’s Harte Honors Program.
“We definitely want to keep the collaboration going in the future, because it has happened in the past as an event on diversity,” she said.
“I think the event tonight was very healthy for everyone and it is good to be able to know that we don’t all have to agree, but that we can have a good professional discussion,” she said.
