Flags and symbols, which may be harmless to some, can be offensive (OH)

By Maggie Rice
POSTED: 08/25/15, 10:30 AM EDT
UPDATED: 32 MINS AGO

... What was unexpected, by my partner and me, was a float dedicated to “The Sons of Confederate Veterans.” A mini-van pulled a small trailer, with a wooden silhouette of a kneeling soldier, and flying above, several flags: an American flag, a Confederate national flag, (which consists of the familiar stars and bars, as well as a white rectangle and a red stripe,) and confusingly, an Alabama state flag ...

It immediately struck me as extremely unpatriotic. Ohio was a Union state throughout the Civil war. We provided key strategic advantages to the Union, as well as providing safe haven to slaves before and during the war. Ohio has a proud tradition of being on the right side of history in this particular instance, and seeing the confederate float was like a slap in the face to my state civic pride ...

I think that the City of Willoughby should follow the lead of these southerners and say “no” to this symbol of treason and hate being used in our civic events.

I’m told that downtown Willoughby events are organized by groups of business owners. In my opinion, Heart of Willoughby seems to be fine with hate symbols being paraded down Erie Street. This makes me question whether they are the best group to be deciding what represents the culture and values of Willoughby, which is what I believe a parade does. This parade said to people visiting Willoughby, particularly people of color, (including the young girls of the predominantly black dance team who performed) that Willoughby is not for them; that we don’t welcome them, and that our city is not a safe environment for them ...

http://www.news-herald.com/opinion/20150825/another-viewpoint-flags-and-symbols-which-may-be-harmless-to-some-can-be-offensive