TOPLINE
As the U.S. begins to reckon with it’s divisive past, with some states removing monuments to Confederate soldiers and others considering reparations, the Pentagon effectively banned flying the Confederate Flag at military installations—while trying to sidestep a clash with a flag-defending President Trump.
U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper sent a carefully worded memo to the Pentagon that effectively ... [+]
KEY FACTS
Starting Friday the Confederate flag will no longer be allowed to hang at military installations.
A memo, signed on Thursday by Defense Secretary Mark Esper, lists which flags are allowed to be displayed by the military, and makes no mention of the Confederate flag.
Officials described the policy as a “creative way to bar the flag’s display without openly angering or contradicting President Trump, who has defended people’s rights to display it,” according to the Associated Press.
The memo says that unauthorized flags may be displayed in museum exhibits, state-issued license plates, monuments, and in places where the display cannot be viewed as endorsed by the Department of Defense.
chief critic
President Trump, who is said to be aware of the new policy, has been critical of banning Confederate flags, the flying of which he sees as a “free speech” issue. The President recently criticized NASCAR for banning the flag and has in the past spoken out against military efforts to to address divisive symbols.
Key Background
Since the death of George Floyd, protests against systemic racism have erupted across the country, leading many states to rethink the policies, monuments and symbols that evoke racist ideology. The Mississippi state legislature passed a bill in June to replace the state’s flag, in which the Confederate battle flag is prominently featured. California and North Carolina have had serious discussions about reparations for Black residents this week, and a slew of monuments honoring Confederate soldiers have been taken down.
tangent
The majority of Southerners consider the Confederate flag a symbol of racism, according to a recent Quinnipiac poll.
Futher reading
Pentagon bans Confederate flag in way to avoid Trump’s wrath (Associated Press)
Pentagon effectively bans Confederate flags on all military property (Politico)
Trump Adds to Playbook of Stoking White Fear and Resentment (New York Times)
Mississippi To Eliminate State Flag With Confederate Battle Emblem (Forbes)
California Assembly Passes Reparations Bill (Forbes)
Asheville, N.C., City Council Backs Reparations For Blacks Through Investment (Forbes)
Here Are All The Confederate Monuments Now Coming Down (Forbes)
Majority Of Southerners Now View The Confederate Flag As A Racist Symbol, Poll Finds (Forbes)
