MASSACRE RAISES NATIONAL MOVEMENT TO REMOVE CONFEDERATE FLAG

By Juwan Armstrong

Photos: Confederate stars and bars flag, Smithsonian Institute;  Captured Confederate flag from South Caroline, by Daderot (Own work) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons

June 24, 2015 (San Diego)--In the wake of a massacre at an African-American church in Charleston , South Carolina last week, a conversation about rejecting the confederate flag has risen to the national level.

21-year-old gunman Dylann Roof walked into a Bible study group and opened fired in the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church , killing nine people. Authorities say that he targeted the individuals because they were black.  Roof, a white supremacist, displayed a Confederate flag in photos online and on his vehicle.

After the news broke, a national outcry went out for the victims and their families. Religious leaders across the country held prayer vigils to show their support. Rev. Leslie White, a pastor at Bethel Memorial A.M.E. church, the oldest historical black church in San Diego, held a prayer vigil in support of the deadly shooting.

The actions of Roof have also sparked a national debate about the Confederate flag, largely known as a symbol of the slavery era in the South.

Supporters of the flag say it is pay tributes to the fallen soldiers during the Civil War and represent America’s history in the South , but opponents say it's a symbol of hate and racist motives during the protest of the civil rights movement.

According to the New York Times, lawmakers from South Carolina are planning a proposal to remove the Confederate flag from the grounds of the Capitol, as campaigns against Confederate symbols spread in other states.

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley made the call Monday afternoon for the removal of the Confederate flag from the statehouse grounds. The flag, previously removed from atop the State Capitol building, has in recent years flown at a war memorial on state property outside the Capitol.

Leading retailers Wal-Mart, Amazon, eBay, Target and Sears all announced bans on the sale of Confederate flag merchandise, amid an intensifying national debate over the use of the controversial flag.

After Haley’s announcement, political leaders from both major political parties have voiced their matter on the issue. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker tweeted, "I am glad @nikkihaley is calling for the Confederate flag to come down. I support her decision."

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who initially said the incident was an accident, later issued a statement that he supported Haley's decision, saying it "honors the people of Charleston, and the families of the victims of last week's horrific hate crime. Removing the flag is an act of healing and unity that allows us to find a shared purpose based on the values that unify us. May God continue to be with the families of the victims in Charleston, and the great people of South Carolina."

Chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee Debbie Wasserman Schultz stated that “This is just the beginning of a conversation we as a society need to have about race, bigotry and violence in this country – not the end of one.”