“Defining a Flag, Defining a Nation”

The Betsy Ross American Flag

That’s the title of my grandneice Keaton Campbell’s latest post on her blog.

She answers the question:

“Is the Betsy Ross flag really a symbol of racism?”

The depth of her answer should give us all hope in her generation. 


Comments

“Defining a Flag, Defining a Nation” — 16 Comments

  1. Is the confederate, pro-slavery flag really a symbol of racism? Dear Political Science professor, please praise my excellent question. Stay tuned…tic, tock, tic, tock, tic, tock, meeeeeeoooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwww…

  2. Cal’s great-niece is a very thorough writer, and has covered controversial topics like the violence in Portland and the Betsy Ross flag with complete integrity.

    If she takes up writing as a career, she has a bright future.

  3. Can any Democrat or Democrat supporter explain why there was no outcry of slavery during the 8 years (2009-2016) of the previous presidential administration. The Betsy Ross flag was known during that time frame. Also note that it was Democrats in Congress during the time of Republican President Abraham Lincoln that opposed the freeing of slaves.

  4. Angel what about blacks who owned slaves?

    Brutal black-on-black slavery was common in Africa for thousands of years.

  5. This young lady could teach Cal Skinner a lot about how to write. First, she does so with a position on the subject rather than an agenda. Cal does his post with an agenda —political lying not necessarily about the facts. Cal would like to think he is a journalist or a writer but that is not even close to the truth. He enjoys the anonymous bantering of those people or subjects he personally does not like. Cal picks his targets and then uses anonymous friends of the blog to help him with his own attempt to discredit them. However, if you are in his grace no matter what you do that is wrong, he will not publish it or give it the light of day. If it does come out, he will bury it with cut and paste jobs from the Chicago Tribune or other articles. If he wants a subject to get more attention, he will post a comment from the subject to keep it going.
    Cal you will never be anything other than a hack when it comes to blogging. So, enjoy your nieces writing and admire her talent as she is nothing like you. Thank God the youth have not all been poisoned by the evil that always seems to be present on this blog. It is far too easy to be evil then it is to be good.

  6. This young lady could teach Cal Skinner a lot about how to write.

    First, she does so with a position on the subject rather than an agenda.

    Cal does his post with an agenda —political lying not necessarily about the facts.

    Cal would like to think he is a journalist or a writer but that is not even close to the truth.

    He enjoys the anonymous bantering of those people or subjects he personally does not like.

    Cal picks his targets and then uses anonymous friends of the blog to help him with his own attempt to discredit them.

    However, if you are in his grace no matter what you do that is wrong, he will not publish it or give it the light of day.

    If it does come out, he will bury it with cut and paste jobs from the Chicago Tribune or other articles.

    If he wants a subject to get more attention, he will post a comment from the subject to keep it going.

    Cal you will never be anything other than a hack when it comes to blogging.

    So, enjoy your nieces writing and admire her talent as she is nothing like you.

    Thank God the youth have not all been poisoned by the evil that always seems to be present on this blog. It is far too easy to be evil then it is to be good.

  7. Yaaaawwwwwwwwwnnn…the black-on-black deflection talking point again. Aren’t we talking about the great United States of ‘Merica? How many Black plantation owners were there on the South? Stay tuned…tic, tock, tic, tock, tic, tock, meeeeeeoooooooowwwwwwwwwwww…

  8. “The president of the NAACP Greater Grand Rapids Branch said that students who brought a Donald Trump for president banner and a ‘Betsy Ross’ 13-star flag to a local high school football game were involved in “intentional actions of intimidation and rooted in no agenda other than to insult, to injure, and to incite.”

    Cle J. Jackson, the president of the NAACP Greater Grand Rapids Branch, said the Betsy Ross 13-star flag has been appropriated by “the so-called ‘Patriot Movement’ and other militia groups who are responding to America’s increasing diversity with opposition and racial supremacy.”

    At a Sept. 9 football game at Houseman Field between Forest Hills Center and Ottawa Hills, some students brought the Trump banner as well as the 13-star Betsy Ross flag. According to data collected by the state, in 2015-16, Forest Hills School District’s student population was 81 percent white while in Grand Rapids schools just 23 percent of the students are white.

    Jackson made the statement Wednesday after a request from Michigan Capitol Confidential for comment.

    “From Pennsylvania to Missouri, and other states and parts of Michigan, the ‘Field of Play’ activities that should be the home of sportsmanship have become home to racial taunts such as blackface, displays of nooses and now supposedly covert actions,” Jackson said in his statement. “Celebrating flags co-opted by exclusionary movements, held next to political banners of a presidential candidate who has offended people of color and immigrants, and accompanied by chants of ‘Go home’ by some students at a majority White school to players at a predominantly African-American school are not coincidences by unaware students. They are intentional actions of intimidation and rooted in no agenda other than to insult, to injure, and to incite.”

    Jackson continued: “In the current sociopolitical environment, we are not surprised by such activities. At the same time, in keeping with our mission, we are not silent in the face of intimidation whether at the ballot box or the ballgame. We applaud our community, especially our young people — of all races — who did not react in any way expected. As we’ve always done, we stood our ground, and played our own game.”

    Jackson compared the reactions to the event to responses to San Francisco 49ers’ quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who has refused to stand during the playing of the national anthem during NFL games saying he refuses to show pride in a country that “oppresses black people and people of color. “

  9. Slavery existed for many centuries before Betsy Ross created a flag.

    Per WIKI:

    “Slavery was a part of the economic structure of African societies for many centuries, although the extent varied.

    The forms of slavery in Africa were closely related to kinship structures. In many African communities, where land could not be owned, enslavement of individuals was used as a means to increase the influence a person had and expand connections.[7] This made slaves a permanent part of a master’s lineage and the children of slaves could become closely connected with the larger family ties.[1] Children of slaves born into families could be integrated into the master’s kinship group and rise to prominent positions within society, even to the level of chief in some instances.[6] However, stigma often remained attached and there could be strict separations between slave members of a kinship group and those related to the master.”

  10. American Indians practiced slavery and child (even infant) sexual molestation for eons.

    Also cannibalism. Whites did not make them do it.

  11. And nearly all the black slaves brought to America were enslaved first by other blacks who sold them.

  12. Conclusion? America is and has always been slavery-free. Stay tuned…tic, tock, tic, tock, tic, tock, meeeeeeoooooooowwwwwwwwwwww…

  13. Slavery by the Egyptians long, long, long before the Betsy Ross flag.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/judaism/history/moses_1.shtml

    “Over a thousand years after Abraham, the Jews were living as slaves in Egypt. Their leader was a prophet called Moses.

    Moses led the Jews out of slavery in Egypt and led them to the Holy Land that God had promised them.

    The escape of the Jews from Egypt is remembered by Jews every year in the festival of Passover.”

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