Leighayn Green,
Nutrioso, AZ.
When I see the Confederate flag on something, I am wary and a little fearful of the person who put it there. My dad and his dad are from Texas. I remember my granddad exclaiming in awe and admiration a run Tony Dorsett made for the Dallas Cowboys back in the 70’s. He used the n-word in his exclamation. I was shocked. When I was 18, I asked my dad (who always maintained he was not racist) to stop telling racist jokes in my presence. He did. My mom was from Michigan and more socially liberal; however, she always cautioned against interracial marriage because of “how difficult it would be for the children.” I feel racism has grown or become more vocal and more acceptable in my community and in many parts of the United States since President Obama was elected under the guise of “free speech” and “I’m not racist, I just don’t like his policies.” Why would anyone in a rural, Mormon pioneer Arizona town feel an affinity for the Confederate flag? Yet, I see it on belt buckles and trucks of my high school students.
