The latest America's racial conflict is a confirmation that the history of the civil war is indeed repeating itself. The conflict started with a mass shooting, a flag, and some statutes.
Who are the players and in which cities is the Conflict?
In Charlottesville Virginia, supporters of the white supremacists protested the plan of the city to destroy the Confederate monuments and in particular the statute of Confederate General Robert Lee. In response to the protest, the city covered the monuments with a black tarp. Mayor Jim Gray of Lexington, Kentucky responded to the protests in Charlottesville by speeding up the plans in his town to bring down the Confederate monuments (Britt, 2017). Protesters in Durham, North Carolina, brought down a statute which was dedicated to the Confederate soldiers. Baltimore also brought down its confederate monuments overnight.
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Why is the Conflict Occurring?
The current monumental controversy and racial conflict witnessed in the United States draws back to 2015 mass shooting when Dylann Roof, a white supremacist shot and killed nine blacks in a church predominantly attended by the blacks in Charleston, South Carolina (Britt, 2017). Dylann Roof drew attention after posing with the Confederate flag in images which were revealed after shooting, and this is what spurred a conflict within the South Carolina on whether or not it should bring down the Confederate flag which had flown in the city for years. The state finally agreed to take down the Confederate flag officially. Many states and cities have since then been left questioning their Confederate symbols.
Why is it a Hot Topic?
The argument behind the Confederate symbols is simple. If the Confederacy fought to maintain white supremacy and slavery in the United States, why should they be honored or commemorated? Many civil rights activists argue that the presence of the Confederate monuments is a symbol that America is still under slavery (Britt, 2017). However, the critics argue that the monuments should not be brought down since they are the Southern pride and not a symbol of support to the pro-slavery movement. They further argue that taking the monuments down erases America's history.
Reference
Britt, L. (2017). Mourning Again in America: Memorial Day, Monuments, and the Politics of Remembrance (Doctoral dissertation, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill).
