To the Editor:
I was surprised at a letter last week [“Learn from History”], but then I realized that writer must be a young man. Those of us who lived through the ‘50s and ‘60s lived through the history of the Confederate flag being used as a symbol of defiance to the Supreme Court decisions on equal rights and desegregation as well as the Federal Government’s use of force to enforce these decisions. The Confederate flag did not fly over the South Carolina capitol building until that time, and I remember clearly the searing images of policemen in the south wearing the flag on their helmets, white supremacists using the flag as a clear symbol of opposition to what was happening, and simmering racism boiling over into the streets in many locations.
Alexandria had its own issues, as the iconic movie “Remember the Titans” captured so poignantly. But its citizens were far ahead of their southern brothers and sisters. The story of the actions of many brave men and women of all ages and all races during the ‘50s and ‘60s should be continuously taught, honored and celebrated.
I personally would like to see the some of our street names changed, substituting the names of those brave men and women from the ‘50s and ‘60s who changed Alexandria into a community where equal rights were more than a slogan. Let’s start with Jeff Davis Highway.
As for the statue of the Confederate soldier on Washington Street, I find it as a historical artifact that is indeed moving. Let’s not remove it. Rather, what I would like to see is that twice a year, when the Confederate flag is accustomed to being displayed there, instead hoist the American flag. This will be a vivid reminder to all that despite all our struggles, all our setbacks and all our conflicts through the years, we “pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
Jim Larocco
Alexandria