Marvin Maddox: Southern reality

The July 8 Points of View on “Confederate flags: heritage or hate?” caused me to think about my own experiences over the past 70-plus years.

I grew up in rural Georgia, attended segregated schools and had very little contact with African-Americans. After completing a physics degree at the University of Georgia, I moved on to careers in the military and the federal Civil Service. Numerous transfers enabled me to meet many people of differing races, religions and cultures.

I am sympathetic to a desire to honor the soldiers who fought for their home state in the Civil War. Unfortunately, during the 1950s the battle flag became a symbol of racial bigotry and opposition to integration.

There are probably many native Southerners like me who instinctively think “redneck racist” whenever we see the North Carolina plate with the Confederate battle flag, and we try to avoid any contact with these drivers.

I’m sure that’s not a fair assessment of the active members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, but that is reality. If they are willing to live with this reality, let them keep their license plates.

As for the battle flags hanging from flag poles, it’s time to take them down and move on to a “New South.”

This story was originally published July 9, 2015 at 5:06 PM with the headline "Marvin Maddox: Southern reality."