State-Journal.com - Is the Stars and Bars a racist symbol or an emblem of Southern heritage?

Photo By State Journal/Suzanne Feliciano Fairen Harris, 16, center, spoke about the Confederate flag as a symbol of racism during class Tuesday at Frankfort High School. As a class project, Karen Hatter, standing, asked her English honors students to write opinion letters to Tiffany Owens and Ted Honaker, students involved on opposite sides of the flag issue at their schools in eastern Kentucky. From left are Karmen Morton, 15, Hatter, Harris and Megan McClellan, 15.

Controversy surrounding an eastern Kentucky high schools use of the Confederate flag and rebel mascot has sparked debate in one local classroom.
Frankfort High School teacher Karen Hatter introduced her sophomore English classes to an Associated Press story in the Dec. 10 State Journal, headlined "Rebel flag not racist, Kentucky students say."
Hatter says the story outlining the use of the Confederate flag and rebel mascot by students at Allen Central High School in Floyd County was a perfect way to get her students thinking about discrimination.
"We talked pretty much at length about discrimination and what the Confederate flag means," Hatter said.
She divided students into two groups. Half wrote to Tiffany Owens, a senior at all-white Allen Central, while the other half wrote to Ted Honaker, a black student at Pikeville High School about 25 miles away from Allen Central. Owens and Honaker were quoted in the AP story.
The assignment urged students to explain their feelings about the schools mascot using references from the AP story.
Hatter said students drafted the letter three times. She said she recommended students write the letters as respectfully as possible. The letters to Owens and Honaker, about 80 of them, were mailed Tuesday.
Rachel Williams said she was in favor of removing the flag from Allen Central.
"They should ban the flag from anything at the school," Williams said. "To me the flag represents a symbol of racism."
Shellee Hayden said Allen Central students cited in the story fully understand the connotation given to the Confederate flag.
"The people they interviewed know what it means and now theyre protecting it," Hayden said. "I dont agree with how theyre showing it everywhere because its offensive."
During class discussion Tuesday of the letters, students spoke passionately about their views of Allen Centrals "school spirit."
"Its not right," Taylor Graham said. "The Confederate flag is not talking about Southern pride, it has a completely different meaning to it."
Some students expressed disdain for Allen Central students justification of use of the Confederate flag and rebel mascot.
"They were trying to hide their racist views," Kyle Roten said. "Everything they said contradicted."
Avery Wigglesworth said she thinks Allen Central students fighting in favor of the flag are learning an important lesson.
"I think it teaches kids to go against the norm and not be afraid to be controversial," she said. "The way theyre using it is not meant to be racist."
Hatter said students were able to put the issue in perspective in their letters to Owens and Honaker.
"You have to see both sides of it," Emmaleigh Barnes said. "It is a big deal to people who see it offensively."
Kassie Hellard said she sees first hand the viewpoints of the issue.
"Im biracial," Hellard said. "I see both sides, I live both sides."
Hellard said no matter how much pride the Confederate symbol brings to students at Allen Central, its still a symbol many find insulting and hateful.
"If its offensive, it shouldnt be in public schools," Hellard said.
Karmen Morton said removing the symbol and changing views regarding racism is difficult.
"People reject the unfamiliar and people fear change," Morton said.
She said FHS is not the only school to take action in the controversy surrounding Allen Centrals use of the Confederate flag. At least one school threatened to boycott athletic competition against Allen Central.
Butch Crope, director of promotions and media relations for the Kentucky High School Athletics Association, said the association did not wish to comment on the situation at Allen Central.
Former KHSAA Commissioner Louis Stout said he is against displaying the Confederate flag at public high schools.
"It amazes me that that flag is still being represented in that fashion at the high school level," Stout said.
Stout said public places such as schools are no place to display offensive symbols.
"To me it sends the wrong vibe," he said. "It surprises me the school board would allow it."
According to Lisa Gross, communications coordinator for the Kentucky Department of Education, it is up to individual school districts to decide when to remove mascots and symbols.
The Kentucky Board of Education issued a resolution on school symbols and mascots in 5 encouraging schools to review their decisions to ensure groups are not offended, Gross said in an e-mail.
Floyd County Schools Superintendent Paul Fanning said he is prepared to discuss the issue before the board.
"Well submit it to the board and go from there," he said.
Fanning said he doesnt recall questions surrounding the rebel mascot, which was adopted in the 0s, until recently. He added the public will have the opportunity to comment on the rebel mascot and Confederate flag issues at the boards Jan. 22 meeting.
"I dont see them (the board) making any quick decisions," Fanning said.
Hatter said she hopes her students continue to articulate their opinions and think about issues in society. She said her class would explore discrimination in future projects as part of an online "Stand Up! Speak Out! Make a Difference!" program the sophomore class is participating in.
"The main thing is communication," she said. "How to communicate a response to a volatile issue."

10.	Posted by Brock Townsend January 12, 2007
	"I am a white female who married a black man and have biracial children." So? I am a white man married to a Vietnamese girl. I have five daughters named Emily, Virginia, Bonnie, Christine, and Dixie. They are proud of their Confederate heritage as well they should be. "This is the 21st. century and things like that need to be done away with." Hmmm, maybe we should get rid of the Cross and the American flag since the KKK uses them also...... "If you leave that flag up you just make all those biracial children more confused then ever. It is something but a disgrace to this country." Only the biracial children who are historically ill informed by the school systems, which are a disgrace to this country, not the Battle Flag. "The flag only represents the past and the little-minded people behind that flag." "Some can say it's about southern pride, but everyone knows what it is truly about, and it's racism, and that just needs to stop." Everyone who gulps down liberal revisionist history "Just think in another 10 yrs, the majority of Kentucky the minority will be blacks and white, because the biracial children will be involved and growin up." An incoherent sentence. I believe my answer to this sentence should be that the Hispanics will be the dominant minority, not the Blacks.

9.	Posted by dawg January 11, 2007
	The issue is not if the Confederate Battle Flag is a racist symbol, which it is not. The Battle Flag was used to identify the military units of the Confederate Army that was standing in defence of their Nation resisting an invasion by the Federal Army from the United States. The Confederate States, in Congress and ratified by the citizens of those states by an law full election had dissolved their political ties with the U.S.A. and had declared their independence and their right as an independent and sovereign Nation. The right of self defence of any Nation to protect its citizens, territory, and its right of self determination is a God given right. Thousands of blacks free men , former slaves, and yes slaves fought for their country (CSA) not to save the institution of slavery which many senior Confederate officers did not agree with including Robert Edward Lee, Thomas J."Stone Wall Jackson and many others. The war of Northern aggression was not a Civil War by definition. The Confederate States were not fighting to take control of the U.S. Federal Government they wanted independence from a Federal Government, controlled by a belargent usurper of the Constitution ( sound familiar ). One need not try to change the truth and true history that the politically correct, misguided people are trying to do, Then all honor to the heroes that fought and died for our freedom, our Country has been occupied by an invader for 140 years and we don't like it. To borrow a popular phrase "Yankee go Home"

8.	Posted by dixiegirl4Him January 11, 2007
	A few things... 1)I'm really sick of the "small-minded" people who follow every whim of the governmental politically correct crowd that continues to perpetuate the lie that the South and her symbols are nothing but a bunch of racist, hateful, backwoods, bumbling idiots. This teacher has opened Pandora's box for a school that she is not even a part of and by doing so has now gotten herself catapulted into mainstream media. Which is probably why she opened the box to begin with...for her own slice of fame. In the process of doing this, she has been yet used as another pawn by the liberal PC party to foster hate in her classroom. Yes, I said hate. No matter how she tries to sweeten it all up, no matter how good it may look on the surface, she has now divided students and caused them to enter a battle that none of them have been prepared for or know anything factual about. The governmental education system does not at all teach the truth about what happened before, during, and post War for Southern Independence. Some of these students may have parents at home who are well versed in correct history, but I will wager, most do not. Nice going, Teacher, you set out what you accomplished...to get your "name in lights". No matter all the other people you hurt in the process. 2)to quote jhunter0032, "This is the 21st. century and things like that need to be done away with." Yeah, this is the 21st century...and tyranny still runs rampant throughout our government. This needs to be done away with even more. That is why we Confederates still exist. You cant kill us off, you cant make us go away. We come in every size, shape, colour, and creed. As long as the love of liberty lasts, you will find a Confederate right behind it. 3) (and lastly), the post below by heritage1861 is a fine piece. It is a bit long and lengthy reading may be a bit intimidating for some of the "small-minded" people mentioned earlier in my post. But I DARE you to read it all, beginning to end, and then continue to stick by the same falsehoods you have been clinging to for so long. Those with guts will read it. Those who lack them, will continue to whine about the same ol' things. Have a Dixie Day!