Legacies Clash as Civil Rights Leader Is Laid to Rest in the Shadow of Racism
As the late civil rights leader Rev. Howard Creecy Jr. was laid to rest in Atlanta on Aug. 6, mourners noticed something odd. At the cemetery where the reverend was buried after a lifetime of work in the civil rights movement, Confederate flags flew, and now, so do tempers of both those who think the flags should go and those to whom the flags represent a proud history.
"For me, it is just an affront to everything that has happened for civil rights and justice for all people that are concerned that this flag still hangs," U.S. Rep. John H. Lewis told the Associated Press.
Protesters gathered this week and publicly called for the removal of the flags that fly over a sculpture of a soldier designed to represent the 400 Confederate veterans buried in the cemetery. The memorial hosts both the familiar Confederate design as well as the Confederate national flag that served as the official banner of the seceded states at the time of the Civil War.
In favor of the flags is the Sons of Confederate Veterans, a group whose members boast their lineage of those who fought in the Civil War. Unashamed of the negative connotation that the Confederate flag carries, the group is proud of the flags and intend for them to remain as a symbol of their legacy.
"Those flags have flown there for many years and will continue to fly there for many years honoring our Confederate heroes and Confederate dead," the organization told WAGA-TV according to AP. "It is not a racial issue."
Rev. Creecy Jr. died July 28 at age 57, just six short months after taking the helm of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. helped found in the aftermath of the Montgomery bus boycott. His funeral was attended by civil rights leaders such as SCLC president emeritus Joseph Lowery, U.S. Rep. John R. Lewis and former Atlanta mayor Andrew Young.
Officials from the Westview Cemetery say they are unable to remove the flags because the rights to erect and maintain the monument are owned by Confederate veterans groups.
Fly the flag every day
IN conjunction with the 54th Anniversary of our Hari Merdeka or Independence Day, Malaysians are encouraged to fly the Jalur Gemilang.
A national flag symbolises the spirit of patriotism and pride, unity and love for the nation. Under a common flag, we attained independence and built our lives harmoniously, irrespective of race, colour or creed.
Under one flag lies the symbol of unity for all our communities as we strive towards building a united Malaysian nation in which our future lies.
I have no doubt Malaysians are proud of their flag as it symbolises nationalism and patriotism, which are needed to strengthen the process of nation building.
In fact it is not just for Independence Day that the Malaysian flag should be flown. We should fly the flag on all important occasions and, if practical, every day. In many countries I visited, I observed that national flags were flown daily at government and private buildings, such as business premises, schools and community centres.
In Malaysia, with the exception of some, many building owners do not make it a practice to fly the national flag, except on Independence Day. Even on that important day itself there are many premises which do not fly the flag.
What is most important here is teaching our younger generation to love our flag. The future of our nation lies with our youths, so it is essential that we inculcate in them the spirit, love and pride for our flag. Schools should have a daily ceremony to hoist the national flag, besides singing the Negara-ku.
Ensuring our young respect and love the national flag is essential to building future generations of Malaysians imbued with a strong sense of patriotism and national pride.
At the same time, I also need to stress here that flying the Jalur Gemilang is not the only way to express one’s patriotism.
Patriotism can come in various forms. When we speak up in defence of our nation, it is a patriotic act.
When we refrain from committing acts of vandalism on public property or throwing garbage in public places indiscriminately, we are patriotic.
Malaysians can display their patriotism through their words, thoughts and actions in the interest of the country and in nation building.
Being patriotic also means contributing one’s views and opinions in areas that can bring good to the country.
Expressing one’s feelings through the right channel is a basic right that should be practised by all patriotic Malaysians who love the country and who want the best for the nation.
In this regards, making constructive criticisms in the interest of the nation does not make a person less patriotic and his loyalty to the country should not be questioned.
Will Rahul unfurl national flag at party headquarters on August 15?
Senior Congress leaders have decided to ask general secretary Rahul Gandhi to unfurl the national flag at the Independence Day celebrations at the party's headquarters here on Akbar Road on Monday, a task customarily performed by the party president.
Mr. Gandhi, who has been with his mother and party president Sonia Gandhi, who underwent a major surgery in a hospital abroad, will return to Delhi on the eve of Independence Day, senior party sources confirmed to The Hindu. “Mr. Rahul will be asked to unfurl the flag,” these sources said, adding, “But if he doesn't agree, then Motilal Vora will do the honours.” Mr. Vora is the seniormost party functionary.
Sources close to Mr. Gandhi say, he is unlikely to take up the offer, as it would send out a political signal of a transition in the making. However, other party sources say, regardless of whether Mr. Gandhi unfurls the flag at the party headquarters or not, it is apparent that a transition is in the offing.
The party has, so far, released very little information on Ms. Gandhi's illness, beyond saying that she underwent surgery on August 4 and is now “convalescing successfully” (Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram), and “on expected lines” (a senior party functionary). But in the Congress circles, it is a matter of grave concern — and intense speculation.
Beyond the personal equations that individual members may have with Ms. Gandhi, her medical condition — if it is serious — could mean that she will no longer be as active as she has been since she took over the reins of a demoralised Congress in 1998, nursed it back to strength, and led it to two successive victories in 2004 and 2009. This is something the average Congressman is worried about — and is talking about privately.
Responding to the decision to ask Mr. Gandhi to unfurl the flag, a party functionary said, “It only means one thing — the party belongs to the family. But, on the other hand, if we go to elections without a member of the family at the helm, the party could collapse again.”
All eyes will be on Mr. Gandhi over the next few weeks, as he is called upon to stand in for his mother, in the next phase of his apprenticeship: he has already apparently agreed to stand in for his mother at the presentation of the 19th Rajiv Gandhi Sadbhavana award at Teen Murti House on August 20, Rajiv Gandhi's birth anniversary.
