While some may seek to make this issue in Lawrence County into an issue of sensitivity seeking to turn the War Between the States into a black-white, slave-free issue, such can only be done if historical reality is ignored, and we must be honest, the Lawrence County School Board has treated the issues of all children of color with the same callous disregard.  Let no one be the least little bit confused, as Indians, and others, we must all agree slavery was wrong, is wrong, and will always be wrong.  It was wrong when the first American Indian was sold into slavery almost 500 years ago, it was wrong when the first enslaved African arrived in North America, and it remains wrong in those areas in which slavery exists at this date, there is no, and can be no, justification for the enslavement of any human being, ever.  While there are those who seek to justify slavery as an institution of the era, those who seek to justify slavery, or oppress others through similar actions hold a repugnant view of human life, their souls are doomed to forever exist in turmoil, because those who seek to oppress others, shall forever lack the knowledge of freedom because you can never experience freedom until you allow the weakest and meekest of society to enjoy greater freedom than yourself.

While slavery is wrong, those who seek to vilify the Confederacy for the cause of slavery ignore historical reality that the curse of slavery on all people of color throughout this country's history finds its roots in New England.  Virtually all slaves brought to North American entered through a northern port, or, that the funding for slave importation was primarily through northern institutions and the so called abolition movement was a response to newly available inexpensive Irish immigrant labor rather than a reaction of conscious (many political observers of this era noted likewise, including Karl Marx), or, in 1861 there were more slaves in the northern states, than in southern states, or that it was not until the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment in December, 1865 forcing the release of human beings held in bondage that northern slaves gained their freedom (General Grant did not release his 3 slaves until forced to do so after the passage of the 13th Amendment, to contrast, Robert E. Lee freed the slaves he inherited years before without needing a law to remind him slavery was wrong).

If we are honest there is no government existing with a clean record regarding people of color, especially the U.S., and its flag, and we would not think of removing it, or its mention from the nation's schools even though in years past the U.S. flag has flown over more massacres of people of color in North America than any flag other than the British and Spanish flag and the U.S. flag has also flown over markets selling people of color, Indian, African, as well as European peoples, without regard for basic human rights.  It is not unimportant that until recent years the flag of choice for racist organizations in the U.S. has been the U.S. flag. In the history of oppressionist bigot groups the U.S. flag has been the premier standard, and it remains so to this day, but the flag some schools seek to ban is the Confederate veterans flag (the 3x5 Confederate flag is not the battle flag, it is the flag adopted in 1904 by the United Confederate Veterans).

The cause of civil rights is without color, race, or ethnicity, the rights granted to one person, must be preserved and granted to all, either we all enjoy civil rights, or none of us enjoy civil rights and in Lawrence County the Board of Education has determined Cherokee children have no civil rights, and that is an injustice that can not be allowed to exist unchallenged.

Charles Yow
NAHI
http://ndnrights.org/nahi
http://yowlaw.com
http://www.yowlaw.com/links.html

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