File this under “why are we having this conversation, still?”

Who reading this doesn’t know that the confederate flag is a hate symbol rather than a symbol of southern pride?

I’m from the North and I know it for what it is: A symbol that was once used by a nation that defined itself on racial oppression, having since been co-opted into representing white power and the arian race.

Awareness is key. Your Region District School Board was right to choose to ban the symbol, but they must also increase awareness of the reasons for the ban, and the wrongness of the symbol. It’s a failing of their educational choices about the past of the region that have led to students misguided view of the symbology of the Confederate flag. Only new education, focused on what was wrong about Confederate ideals and the way of life, will change the feelings of the students who are misunderstanding it.

Though, while one student was defending it as a part of “freedom of speech”, another walked by and stated that “You can buy a f—— swastika if you want, it’s still racist

There’s hope yet. We just have to make sure that hope outshines those stuck in the past.