Members of the United States’ army and a bipartisan group of legislators are pushing legislation to rename military bases honoring Confederate leaders.
Currently, both the House and Senate versions of the bill possess provisions necessitating these bases to change their names to those of American heroes.
Recently, however, President Donald Trump stated he will veto anything involving renaming the 10 major Army bases named after Confederate leaders. Not only would this hold up the 740 billion dollar National Defense Authorization Act’s approval, having potentially devastating effects on the United States’ military, but it would also honor the brutal history of the south.
While we should not ignore the Confederacy, we should not honor it. It was a disgraceful and shameful period in our nation’s history.
Senior Jordan Mimms believes the bases must be renamed. “I find it offensive when people praise or even defend the confederacy because those people were fighting to keep my ancestors as slaves,” Mimms stated. “You cannot defend or look up to the actions of monsters like that and then try to say you are not racists.”
“My ancestors and the ancestors of other African Americans were treated as less than for so long and had to endure so many atrocities for the sake of white America, ” she elaborated. “The least we could do is stop praising and defending the confederacy.”
A government entity should not honor this history. PVHS prohibits the display of distracting Confederate items.
PVHS principal Darren Erickson has dealt with students wearing the Confederate flag on campus. “I believe that the celebration of the Confederacy and all it stood for is offensive to many,” he said. “It is easy to understand how seeing the Confederate flag being flown is considered offensive and hostile by many considering many of the beliefs and foundations for which it stood.”
Some individuals argue they have a First Amendment right to honor their heritage. While this is true, there are limitations to this right. Items praising and glorifying the Confederacy create a hostile environment for black individuals.
Additionally, one’s First Amendment rights are not guaranteed. When one’s speech infringes on the rights of others, it may not be protected. “Freedom of Speech does not ensure freedom from consequence, nor is it an absolute,” Erickson said. “The common analogy is that it is illegal to yell “Fire” in a crowded room, causing people to be injured, because you had the ‘right’ to yell it.”
Due to the negative connotations behind the celebration of the Confederacy, a ban on Confederate items should be implemented among the government’s facilities.
Millions of black people suffered at the hands of white individuals. From the time of enslaved Africans first arriving in the United States, to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the land of the free was not free for those of color. Subsequently, to this day, black individuals are still placed at a distinct disadvantage.
Mimms believes honoring the Confederacy perpetuates racism. “When we honor those of the confederacy we are basically saying to black people that their ancestors and even their own lives mean less than that of racist dead white people,” she emphasized. “The Confederacy stands for racism. The fact that America still honors those racists is a disgrace to such a diverse country. Germany does not honor Nazis and America shouldn’t honor confederates.”
While it is morally incorrect for anyone to honor the Confederacy, it is completely unacceptable for the government entities to.
Although changing the names of these bases would be costly, it would be a trivial cost in the grand scheme of things. The U.S. government spends billions of dollars on the military each year. In 2019 alone, the U.S. spent 718.69 billion dollars on its military.
The United States’ government must rename these bases out of respect for members of the black community. Not doing so fails to denounce racism and honors the horrific history of the south.
