Yesterday, South Carolina governor Nikki Haley did not hide behind the Confederate flag but said it has “no place” on statehouse grounds.  Charleston, South Carolina is being connected to Birmingham, Alabama of 1963.  The nine lives lost while gathering for prayer and Bible study are connected to the deaths of four little girls who came to attend Sunday school at Sixteenth Street Baptist Church.  And while persons are discussing why 21 year old confessed shooter Dylann Roof came and political verbal shoving matches continue, another connection is being made to the Confederate flag and its tie to American slavery.

Some say that its meaning is complicated while others argue that it is clear cut.  The Confederate States of America, as they would come to be known, seceded from the Union shortly after Abraham Lincoln’s was elected president.  As we all know, he would go on to abolish the enslavement and forced employment of African Americans.  We’ve had hundreds of years dissect and discuss this subject.  Whether it is the original flag or not, the original meaning remains intact.  If it offends some, it offends all.  Consequently, I agree with those who call for its removal, which now includes Governor Nikki Haley. Take down the flag.