REDIRECTING EFFORTS TO DERACIALIZING THE LANDSCAPE & HOMOPHOBIA ON THE LANDSCAPE
I have largely won the battle. Confederate monuments have come down in all the major cities and even many middle size towns. They remain mostly in small towns and even there the battle is raging and towns will decide that it is a negative for their city's image and the location of places of employment.
So you will find on this page a lot of my working fighting neo-Confederacy and it is still a resource to do so. Though much of the battle has been won there are still battles to be fought. I will still be working on some issues and additionally I will be doing preservation work to make sure the archives have a record of the neo-Confederate movement.
What the new direction or focus for me will be de-racializing the landscape and landscape reparations. See the left side menu for Landscape Reparations.
What I am going to focus on is the city of Dallas, Texas and some more general Texas issues to both de-racialize these landscapes but also use it as a test ground to develop methods and ideas about de-racializing a landscape in particular for specific issues such as street names and monuments, but also as whole thing. See the Dallas entry and the Texas entry on the Left side menu. Further I am going to be addressing the issues of homophobia on the landscape.
Of course one of the new issues appearing are threats of secession from the United States which I am entirely opposed to and I have been working at a low level on the issues of secession. Depending on developments, I might have much more information on the issue of secession.
So you will find on this page a lot of my working fighting neo-Confederacy and it is still a resource to do so. Though much of the battle has been won there are still battles to be fought. I will still be working on some issues and additionally I will be doing preservation work to make sure the archives have a record of the neo-Confederate movement.
What the new direction or focus for me will be de-racializing the landscape and landscape reparations. See the left side menu for Landscape Reparations.
What I am going to focus on is the city of Dallas, Texas and some more general Texas issues to both de-racialize these landscapes but also use it as a test ground to develop methods and ideas about de-racializing a landscape in particular for specific issues such as street names and monuments, but also as whole thing. See the Dallas entry and the Texas entry on the Left side menu. Further I am going to be addressing the issues of homophobia on the landscape.
Of course one of the new issues appearing are threats of secession from the United States which I am entirely opposed to and I have been working at a low level on the issues of secession. Depending on developments, I might have much more information on the issue of secession.
Watch AntiNeoConfederate Video Casts
The anti-neo-Confederate videos are at AntiNeoConfederate (one word, no hyphens) on YouTube. We have regular videos added educating the public what is going on in the neo-Confederate movement and what the menace of this movement is. This is the direct link to the channel. Other videos on this page will be migrated to this channel.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_TBuNDUeTcx0e2SlYfCYqw
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_TBuNDUeTcx0e2SlYfCYqw
Facebook Group
|
Awarded Spirit of Freedom Medal
Spirit of Freedom Commemorative Medal of Honor Medallion from the African American Civil War Memorial Freedom Foundation awarded "For outstanding service beyond the call of duty to educate and facilitate awareness of the African American Civil War Experience." Granted by Asa Gordon, Sec. Gen. Sons & Daughters of the United States Colored Troops and Frank Smith, Founding Director of the African American Civil War Memorial Freedom Foundation.
Anti-Confederate Flag
Copyright Edward H. Sebesta 2009
Introduction The anti-Confederate flag was designed with several considerations in mind to make sure it would be a very good anti-Confederate flag. Considerations First, the anti-Confederate flag shouldn’t contain a Confederate flag. For example there have been attempts to design an anti-Confederate symbol by putting the international prohibition sign over the Confederate battle flag. As a design it doesn’t work out well since the Confederate battle flag has a cross on it and the slash in the prohibition sign goes over a cross bar in the Confederate flag. Additionally from a distance it looks like you are wearing the Confederate flag. We don’t want to wear Confederate flags, not even with prohibition signs. Also, we want our flag to express pro-democratic values and not just a negation of the Confederate flag. We want to be for something in opposition to the Confederate flag. Second, we want to have this flag be accessible to everyone, a flag that everyone who is for democratic values can call his or her own. We want an anti-Confederate and pro-American democratic flag that doesn’t exclude anyone and draws together different people to be united in their opposition to the Confederate flag and neo-Confederacy. The flag can’t specifically oriented to any one group in society since that would make it one group’s flag and hence not others’ flag. Third, we want a flag that is distinctive from other flags and not likely to be confused with any other flag. Fourth, we want a flag that is readily recognizable and stands out and draws attention. Fifth, it needs to be a flag with a design compatible with flag design. Sixth, it would be nice if it drew on anti-Confederate flags in history. Seventh, the flag should have an appealing design so that people want to wear it because it has an appealing design. Anti-Confederate Flags in History During the Civil War there were many anti-Confederate flags. These were modified American flags. Some Americans rearranged the stars in the phalanxes or square pattern symbolizing readiness to face attacks on America from any direction. [1] The popularity of flying an American flag started with the Civil War. Prior to the Civil War American flags were flown at Federal buildings such as the Post Office. With the Civil War the manufacturers were suddenly faced with a tremendous demand for American flags which people flew as anti-Confederate flags. The American flag with or without modifications was seen as the anti-Confederate flag.[2] The nickname “Old Glory” for the American flag comes from one Civil War episode. Capt. Driver, a retired sea captain, who moved to Tennessee in the Nashville area before the Civil War, had taken with him in his retirement the American flag he had flown on his ship. He was very proud of this flag and exhibited it frequently and called it “Old Glory.” When the Civil War broke out his flag was threatened and he hid it inside a quilt. When the American armies liberated Nashville, he was brought before the liberating troops and Capt. Driver exhibited his flag. This episode was picked up by the press at the time and though Capt. Driver and his flag are largely forgotten, the nickname “Old Glory” is still remembered.[3] The Confederates saw the American flag as an Anti-Confederate flag. Mobs in New Orleans tore down an American flag and dragged it through the mud of the streets and then “tore it to shreds, and distributed the pieces among the crowd.” In Memphis the burial of the American flag was publicly celebrated.[4] Unfortunately, with the overthrow of the multi-racial democracy of Reconstruction and the nation rejecting an Abolitionist vision of America, by the 1920s the Ku Klux Klan felt comfortable flying the American flag and even claimed that they were 100% Americanism. So the American flag by itself has lost an anti-Confederate meaning. The Phalanx flag and Capt. Drivers flags can’t be used since they are so similar to an American flag they aren’t distinctive and readily recognized as being something other than an American flag. The Anti-Confederate Pro-American Flag Design This anti-Confederate flag meets all seven of the considerations listed above. One, it doesn’t contain a Confederate flag. Two, it is for every one of all backgrounds, it isn’t specific to one group. Three, it is certainly distinctive from any other flag. Four, it is readily recognizable, even from a distance. Five, it is compatible with flag design. Six, it draw on the Civil War history of Anti-Confederate flags by being based on the American flag. Finally, Seven, it is a design that is appealing to people. It isn’t just a flag against something, is a flag for the modern multi-racial democratic America against the anti-democratic and racist values of the Confederacy. It has fifty stars in a blue region like the American flag and has red and white strips like the American flag. However, both the blue canton of the American flag and the stripes has been transformed. This gives the flag a novel and distinctive appearance so it won’t be confused with an American flag, but will suggest the American flag. It is also an energetic pattern suggestive of an active struggle against neo-Confederacy. The swallowtail ends of the flag on the right side give the flag charm and further novelty. [1] The Phalanx pattern is shown on page 131 in “The Stars and the Stripes: The American Flag as Art and as History from the Birth of the Republic to the Present,” published by Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1973. [2] Guenter, Scot M., “The American Flag, 1777-1924: Cultural Shifts from Creation to Codification,” Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 1990. For history of the American flag during the Civil War is Chapter 4, “Symbol of the Union: Flag Use During the Civil War,” pages 66-87. For changes in flag manufacturing to supply demand during the Civil War page 89-90. [3] Harrison, Peleg D., “The Stars and Strips and Other American Flags,” pub. Little, Brown & Co., Boston, 1917, pages 304-307. [4] Preble, George Henry, “Origin and History of the American Flag,” 2nd Edition, Vol. II, pub. Nicholas Brown, Philadelphia, 1917, pages 468-493. |
