A Fayetteville High School student has now been suspended for donning a Confederate flag sweatshirt. Reported first by KARK, the students wore the apparel to support the History, Not Hate movement.
Students were given the choice to remove the apparel or be suspended. At this time, one student has received out of school suspension.
The History Not Hate movement perpetuates the idea that the Confederate flag is an emblem of southern pride rather than a symbol for racism. The social media based movement largely relies on “hashtag” activism to spread this message.
The movement has gained momentum in response to pressures to remove Confederate statues across the South.
Only a year and a half ago, protests historically erupted in Charlottesville, Virginia over a debate to remove a statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee who led the Confederate army in the Civil War. On Monday, Mississippi and Alabama officially celebrated Robert E. Lee Day in conjunction with Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
What does the flag mean to you?
History, Southern pride. I don’t even equate it with the black race.
I never really looked at the confederate flag as a black against white thing. I always looked at it as a North against the South thing “those damn Yankees”. I always had a confederate flag on the front of my truck, one day several years ago I was driving in Memphis and while stopped at a light a black guy walked across the street and used his finger to look like a gun and made the motions like he was shooting my flag on front of my truck. But anyways after a little family history lesson I found out I came from the North, so I was from one of those Damn Yankees!!