The Confederate flag needs to be declared, officially, as a symbol of hate. Some will say it represents southern history and southern culture, but in reality, it is representative of a culture that enslaved and tortured other human beings. It represents the history of a society that profited off slavery and maintained a system that treated human beings like animals.

Seeing the image of the Confederate flag in the United States Capitol building on January 6th was a disgrace and painful image for ALL of us to see. African Americans in this country have been oppressed and violated for too long and the Confederate flag should be identified as hate speech. It is no different than in Germany where all Nazi symbols have been deemed illegal, including the swastika, to show that there is no place for hate.

To move forward as a country, we must accept our dark, racist past to bring light into the future. I am appealing to members of the DC Council, and all elected officials, to please take action and pass a resolution expressing that the Confederate flag is a symbol of racism and is NOT welcome anywhere in our country. Can we finally recognize the Confederate flag for what it is: an offensive and shameful image that has existed for 160 years?  Enough is enough!