How to Fight Racism: Courageous Christianity and the Journey Toward Racial Justice

by Jemar Tisby

Another objection some have is that whatever Confederate symbols may have meant in the past, their connotation now is more positive. “Heritage not hate” is the refrain often invoked in the defense of Confederate iconography. The problem with “heritage not hate” as a defense of contemporary Confederate symbolism is that insofar as the Confederacy existed to defend race-based chattel slavery, its heritage is hate. It is the hatred of freedom, of the image of God in Black people, and of unity. There is much to celebrate about the culture and traditions prevalent in the southern United States—Blues music, catfish, Margaret Walker Alexander, and much more.19 Why represent a region and a culture whose heritage you appreciate with the most reprehensible aspect of that place? For Christians, Scripture teaches us, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves” (Phil. 2:3). Selfishness says, “This symbol represents heritage not hate to me, even though it represents terror and dehumanization to others.” Humility says, “Whatever attachments I may have to Confederate symbols and monuments, I value others enough to consider their pain over my pride.” Monuments and symbols are about memory—how we choose to remember the past. They are about who gets included and who gets left out of our narratives. For too long people invested in white supremacy have inscribed the celebration of whiteness and denigration of people of color into our ...