Can you imagine?
Can you imagine that every time you go to the local court house or public square in your home town you are essentially forced to look at a statue of a confederate "hero"? Or each time you want to go to a sporting event to cheer on your grandchild you have to stare at a flag waving that celebrates rebellion against the Union and the kidnapping, raping and slavery of people who look like you.
Can you imagine as a black person living in certain states in the US that the white people in power at the time decided to erect this monument just to make sure you knew that at any time they wanted they could enslave you or lynch you if you decided to raise your voice in protest? Or imagine 150 years after the end of the Civil War the white people still in power refuse to pull down the statue-- again letting you know where your place is.
Can you imagine as a black person listening to your grandma or grandpa tell you a story about in the 1950's and 60's how they were kept from drinking from certain water fountains or violently escorted out of restaurants because of the color of their skin? They tell you that story just to warn you about going downtown at night in 2020 because the KKK is still very active there and the Sheriff looks the other way.
I equate allowing for confederate or racist statues, flags and memorials erected in cities around the US to driving through Tel Aviv and seeing subtle reminders of the Nazi's. You know, a Swastika flag hung over a museum dedicated to those murdered in the Holocaust or a statue of Hitler in the town square of Jerusalem or perhaps something closer to home. Maybe the building of a statue of Andrew Jackson on the Cherokee reservation in Oklahoma at the end of the Trail of Tears to remind those poor souls of the hatred unleashed upon their people.
If you have issues with the removal of these items and are telling people that you are not a racist and that they are just innocent symbols of history then you need to take a deep look into your soul. Listen to your black neighbor and find out how they feel.
If you are person who doesn't feel associated with these types of symbols because they aren't really prevalent and you think people are overreacting to this. Think again. People take this seriously, ask someone like Collin Kapernick. He simply took a knee at a sporting event to protest and end police violence. He quickly became one of the most hated people in America.
People take disrespecting of their icons very personally. There is something visceral about how people feel about their statues to commemorate "the good old days" when America was great the first time. When was this you ask? You know when white people could rule over black people with an iron fist. When presidents could call for the removal of Native Americans from their birth place and march them across 1000's of miles to kill them off just so other white people could come in a take their land..You get the point.
When will we as a nation say NO to racism and to wealthy white dictators? I wonder if one day black people of our nation will look up and see a flag waving that they can be proud of. It is my prayer that one day at the city centers, black people will look upon statues of people who treated them like human beings and who rose to stand next to them in their struggle for equality. If we want America to ever be great, it must start with this. We must take hold of our held responsibility and eradicate racism in our day. As a people we must see the dismantling of laws that continue to perpetuate racism and systems that create disparity in our nation. We should applaud the removal of symbols of oppression in our society. We owe it to people of color and we owe it to our children and grandchildren to finally be able to live in a nation where all peoples of all colors are treated with dignity and respect.
Can you imagine?