Tradition does not lie in the salvaged bits and pieces of what we once tried to make the South over 150 years ago.
Tradition lies in the oldest, deepest roots of the South.
The food, which soon became infused with African flavors and methods, is perhaps one of the most respected and shared of Southern traditions.
The music, from Robert Johnson’s poignant refrains at The Crossroads in Clarksdale, Mississippi, to a guitar’s reverberations over Appalachia, carries the strength, pride and sorrow that pulses through the blood of the first ones who spoke the word “Mississippi” and the ones who say it now, perhaps without ever having heard visceral pulse of the Mississippi River— the oldest song of the South.
The hospitality, which every southerner claims to have but can easily lose without the last two, is hidden beneath the dark cloak of what once divided those who would one day stand together in a coalition against slavery, against segregation and, finally, against generations of racism.
Hospitality is hidden beneath the flag we all stand under but not necessarily for.
In 2001, Mississippi voters chose to leave the state flag— and the Confederate battle cross in the corner— intact. However, this vote does not resonate with the feelings many Mississippians and southerners hold today. The Confederate symbol represents years of oppression through slavery and the lengths slave owners would go to preserve institution and keep their slaves devoid of basic human rights.
Now, the Confederate symbol represents these old ideals. Members of white supremacist groups carry it to publicly display their angst with any sort of progression, including the progression that took place years ago, when slavery was abolished.
Dylann Roof, a self-proclaimed white supremacist, posed with the Confederate flag in photos before he walked into a church and killed 9 black American citizens.
The Confederate flag is, at its core, a symbol for hate.
As a life-long southerner, I will never stand for or beneath hate. Neither will my family or my friends. To the Mississippi lawmakers: it’s time to stand above hate. Take the flag down, respect those who had a hand in creating the southern traditions we all honor and revisit today.
