The Black Informant | African American Commentary, News and Community Building

I remember a college teammate (football) of mine and I had a conversation about Chrisitianity. He was a Jehovahs Witness by label, but seemed to be hostile to the Christ and anything associated with Him. Our debate turned to the celebration of Christmas and its true origins. He informed me of the pagan/secular origins of the celebration of Christmas and provided supporting material for me to review. He then asked me would I still support Christmas considering its history.

To make a long story short, I still celebrate Christmas as the birthday of Christ, although He may not have been born on that day. What does this have to do with a Black man celebrating the confederacy? Sometimes we (mankind in general) embrace something because we do not understand it’s full history in context. While I’m sure Blacks fought for the confederacy, I doubt they were aware that the freedom/slavery of Blacks and the economic impact of such was an intergral component of the argument of state’s rights. In addition to this point, the history of the South is rich in many areas such as agriculture, industry, and a slower paced quality if life. But the Confederacy’s view of Blacks, slavery, and the assumed ordination by God for free labor from Blacks and Indians is not one of them.

The gentleman in this article is sincere, but is sincerely wrong. I don’t think civil rights organanizations need to make the removal of confederate flags from state grounds a priority per se, but neither is there a need to whitewash the events/circumstances that led to the Civil War, which I feel were God’s judgement on this country because of slavery

I heard H.K. Edgerton for the second time yesterday day on a local talk show (the Hallerin Hilton Hill show) and Mr Edgerton called Hallerin, who is also Afro American, everything but a human it seems for not agreeing with/supporting him. Hallerin is a very understanding and far from being divisive. Such attacks on reasonable people does not help H.K.’s views. Decent people can disagree and still remain civil.

I have long believed that the Civil War was fought over state’s rights not slavery, but we will leave that debate for another day. Yes blacks did fight for the Confederacy, and the Confederate battle flag – the real flag being discussed as most do not even know what the actual flag of the Confederacy (which Mr Edgarton does carry) looks like – is offensive to many today.

The real question is not if we are going to disagree over the past – we as a society always will – but what we can do to build respect for both sides of the debate in the future. The South does have a proud legacy with some VERY VERY low points, and the northern US has similar issues – their view of the Irish being a good example. In the end both sides should be able to discuss their views and opinions without being labeled as bigots, hate mongers, frauds, or unintelligent beings. Southern pride is fine, but it should acknowledge the mistakes of the past as well. Northern arrogance should acknowledge that the South is not full of hillbillies, bigots and simpletons and that many decent, intelligent and honorable Southerners do exist and that all Southern’s are bigots.

In the end H.K. is fighting a uphill battle, but it is one that we support his right to fight and one that we hope some will learn some facts from, but in the end he must act a bit more reasonablely when challenged. That will increase his impact not marginalized it.

[...] fro Africian American from Asheville, NC – march down old Maryville Pike yesterday – full post here with the Confederate flag . Mr Edgarton [...]

To my knowledge there has never been an embraced apology for all the abuses associated with known and unknown racists that used this flag as their symbol. We easily want to forget that there are still people who know of these horrible crimes and where the bodies are buried and to this day are willing to die without disclosing these locations. There are still people alive today that did these things and are teaching others to follow in their footsteps. At no time should we get comfortable with embracing this flag or accept it as our heritage. I respect the tears my grandmother shed every time she saw this flag and the fear that shook her body. She did nothing to deserve being treated like an animal or discarded as trash.

Me and mine will continue to speak out for our ancestors and future kinfolk against this manmade idol.

I’m from Missouri, which isn’t a Southern State obviously, so I’m willing to keep an open mind on the subject of the Confederate Flag. Having said that, I have yet to hear a convincing argument as to what makes that flag any different from a Swastika. Look, of course Germany has a proud history, and if you look, I’m sure you could find positive things about even the Nazi regime (you’d have to be pretty darn selective, but they’re there). But you cannot get over the glaring errors of the Confederate South – which practiced slavery as a holy mission fought to preserve the institution (sugar coat that all you want with flowery “state’s rights” language, but if they’d won the war, they’d be an apartheid state today). As far as I’m concerned, you carry that flag, you say “slavery wasn’t so bad,” which is as flat-out abhorrent as saying with a Swastika, “Eh, killing Jews? Who cares, really? They had such great architecture!”

If you check history, the first person to get shot at the raid on Harper’s Ferry was Black man named, Shepard Hayward. he was running to warn slave holders that John Brown was coming.

Blacks have always had a small corner of twisted Negros. In fact, every group has them. The Jewish people had wealthy American Jews in California that turned their backs on the Holocaust. I know of this type of Black American, personally. It’s the strangest thing in the world to, actually, engage them. It’s like the film, “The Body Snatchers.”