Letters to the Editor (Editorial Policies)
Posted on September 28, 2006

Rebel flag a question of definition

Nathaniel Clarkson and AndersonBraswell, in responding to Dr. Imani’s criticisms of their earlier letter defending the Confederate battle flag, make an excellent point: “analogy is the lowest form of reasoning.” Definition is a much stronger form, and Clarkson and Braswell employ it well in claiming, “the Confederate battle flag is a symbol of military valor and honor.” However, as the battle flag was created in 1861 and carried by Confederate soldiers throughout the Civil War, it cannot, as a symbol, be isolated from the South’s reasons for going to war — Northern aggression, to preserve the Southern way of life, to protect states’ rights — for the soldiers did not exhibit their honor and valor in a historical vacuum.

Therefore, the battle flag cannot be separated from slavery, an aspect of the Southern way of life and a right the Confederate states sought to keep, and because the battle flag cannot be separated from slavery, and no matter what other possibly honorable ideas it may symbolize, it symbolizes racism as well.

Kenneth Wright, associate writing professor

Truth and dialogue over secession and strife

I was very disturbed to read the letter to the editor in Monday’s issue of The Breeze by Clarkson and Braswell suggesting that I was vilifying the Confederate flag. I suspect the problem begins with the title my original letter was given, which did not correctly represent its contents. I made no such vilification, arguing that the problem was not what people thought about symbols, but rather their attempts to force everyone to accept their particular perspective. I made no allegations of racism against anyone, nor did I equate the Holocaust with the Confederacy. All of these allegations are patently false and I believe the authors know them to be. What they are interested in is preserving their interpretation at any cost. What I am interested in is truth and dialogue. Truth requires that we acknowledge positive and negative aspects of history as it relates to symbols. Dialogue requires that we are willing to respect the rights of all to interpret the symbols as they see fit.

The Rev. Dr. Nikitah Imani, associate sociology professor

The Confederate flag hates freedom

In Monday’s letter to the editor, Nathaniel Clarkson and Anderson Braswell referred to the Confederate flag as a symbol of Southern military honor. Whether or not the Ku Klux Klan adopted the Confederate battle flag does not deter from the fact that the Confederate battle flag stands for a fallen state that supported the enslavement of a people. This “heritage” you so proudly refer to is a black mark on our nation’s history. The Confederate flag represents a time of severe hatred and racism, not Southern pride. Have pride in your own country, the United States of America. Don’t be a freedom hater.

Daniel Delli-Colli, senior graphic design major