It's Down

I am sipping coffee in my cousin's kitchen four hours from my home. They have cable so I am watching the coverage on MSNBC of the Confederate Flag coming down.

My teenage daughter said, "Just take it down already."

My tween daughter said, "They lost, take it down."

It is 400+ years of oppression and 53 years in the wrong since they put that "Confederate Battle Flag" back up in protest of the Civil Rights Movement. It has flown on that state capital since 1962.

The flag is a symbol of hatred, racism, and degradation of African peoples in this country.  It is more than just a piece of cloth on a public building.

Why did it take the horrendous murder of nine black people, five of them ministers, by a deranged Millennial white man, to make this finally be a discussion among the populace.

Bree Newsome scaled that pole just a couple weeks ago and declared, "I come against you in the name of God. This flag comes down today." They arrested her and now, I know they better drop the charges. It was a flag of treason that was against the United States of America,

The crowds have filled the capital grounds and are singing, "sha-sha-nah-nah, hey-hey-hey goodbye." AT the same time, I know there ware some white people who are crying.

The military regiment that took it down was lead by two black men. I can't even imagine the thoughts raging through these black sons of South Carolina as they carried it and handed it off to the curator of the Confederate Relic Museum. I wonder what he was thinking.

There are so many thoughts that rage through the hearts and minds. It was a a powerful moment yesterdaywhen Nikki Haley, Governor of South Carolina, signed the bill to bring it down. The visual of the crowds outside that statehouse are a great image of people who want to move the country forward.

My cousin said to strike up the church organs and think of the great cloud of witnesses who are shouting in heaven.

It is time for the rest of the southern slave states to step into brotherhood of the country and remove any remaining vestigages of hate. The very granddaughter of Jefferson Davis, the President of the Confederacy, called for the flag to come down as an elected official in South Carolina. She remarked that there is no one more connected than she and she commented it was past time.

Representative Clybourne has called for it to come down from the Citadel and all othe rremaining public spaces. Anyone who wants it in their home, fly it, that will let the rest of the world know who they are.

It must be a moment for the families of the Charleston Nine that were in Bible Study that night. Imagine their blood that stains the country and the importance of this flag coming down to all the people of Mother Emanuel.

Perhaps the arch is bending.

Black Lives Matter.

The United States of America just took a step to be more united.