Oregon Lawmakers: Take Down The Mississippi Flag

We, the undersigned, together with Don’t Shoot Portland, the Oregon Assembly for Black Affairs, SURJ Portland, and members of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Salem's Social Justice Team, call upon Governor Kate Brown, Senate President Peter Courtney, House Speaker Tina Kotek, and every other state legislator to acknowledge that Black Lives Matter and to acknowledge the following:

The Problem—The Mississippi state flag, prominently displaying the Confederate battle flag in its design, flies in “Walk of Flags” Park.

The Confederate battle flag is problematic in the following ways:

—As a symbol of terror, hate and racist ideology, now and in the past. The symbols on the Confederate battle flag have always been used in conjunction with white supremacy.

—As a symbol of the fight to maintain institutional human slavery. Flying the flag conveys the message that “The South will rise again” which, to people of color, means a return to exploitation and the enacted belief that some people are inherently worth less than others.

—As a symbol used recently in Oregon, for example, to protest President Obama’s visit supporting the families affected by the terrorist shooting in Roseburg.

Racism has no place in Oregon. The symbology of hate and terror are not acceptable.

The Impact—The impact of the State of Oregon flying the flag of the State of Mississippi is that Oregon symbolically supports the legacy of racism. People who live in Oregon both expect and deserve more, specifically expressions of government that aspire to equality and justice for all, rather than lifting up and affirming white supremacy, which does real harm in our state every day. Flying this flag says that Oregon is home for some, but not all, which is the wrong message for our state.

The Solution—For too long, Oregonians have remained silent in the face of state-supported racism. This time, Oregonians will not remain silent and will begin to loosen the stranglehold that racism has on the state. The time to face this facet of the problem is now. The removal of Confederate flag symbol is a significant step towards racial equity and sends a clear signal to Mississippi and the rest of the nation that everyone must begin the real work needed to dismantle racism. As Oregon confronts the legacy of this flag, it must confront its own legacy of forming redlines, sundown towns, and other ways it continues to systematically marginalize and hurt people of color.

The Action—Therefore, we call upon Oregon state lawmakers to take immediate action to remove the Mississippi flag from the “Walk of Flags” Park until such time as the citizens of Mississippi remove all racist symbology from their banner. January is not soon enough; the time to act is now.