I've been eating elephant ears and taking pictures next to pumpkins at the Canfield Fair for as long as I can remember. I've gone on dates, performed music, gotten lost, and eaten countless french fries at the fair. I even wrote my high school senior research paper on the fair's history. Like most residents in the Valley and beyond, I try to spend at least a few hours at the fair every year. It's a pastime I've shared with all of my family members, friends, and neighbors.

For 174 years, the Canfield Fair has crafted a family-friendly tradition of bringing people together to share their passion for art, food, agriculture, industry, and music. And for almost thirty years, I've been happy to be a part of its rich history.

But for many of my years at the fair, I've witnessed a symbol of hate being sold and displayed in the open. Brandished on pocket knives, t-shirts, and pickup trucks, the Confederate flag is as easy to spot as a corndog. And until now, I've been complacent with its presence because, frankly, it didn't really bother me.

But I've woken up and realized that the Confederate flag makes people feel uncomfortable and unsafe, and it prevents some people from coming at all! This is not the tradition that I want to be a part of and it's not in the spirit of the fair. We would never tolerate the proud display of the Nazi Swastika or the KKK emblem in our churches, schools, or parks. Why do we tolerate it at the Canfield Fair?

There may be people who oppose this petition for various reasons and others who may not even understand how the flag can be offensive to anyone. But no one can change the facts: the Confederate flag's historical significance is rooted in racism, slavery, and evil. It has no place in our community and it has no place at the Canfield Fair.

I respectfully ask the Mahoning County Agricultural Society Board of Directors to explicitly ban the display and sale of all hate symbols, including the Confederate flag, at the Canfield Fair. The only way to carry on the true spirit of the fair is to leave all traces of hate behind.