(AP) — Apurple and gold version of the Confederate flag, waved by some Louisiana StateUniversity fans at sports events, has again raised the debate over whether thestars and bars pay homage to the days of slavery.
“Itrepresents two different things that I’m proud of,” said sophomore HarperHollis, referring to Southern heritage and the state’s largest university.
Blacks makeup about 10 percent of the student body at the Baton Rouge campus, and many ofthem are unhappy with the purple and gold version of a banner that flew overarmies fighting for the slave states.
“It saysthat my school promotes that movement — bigotry, basically,” said SteveBrockington, a black student from Ville Platte.
IsaacNetters, a New Orleans native who is coordinator of African-American studentaffairs at LSU, said he noticed the modified flag image as early as 1996, whenhe was a freshman at the school. He said he isn’t personally angered by it.
“The peoplethat fly these flags, they really believe they’re celebrating their heritage,”he said, adding there is no doubt the flag is a hot campus issue.
LSU’s newchancellor, Sean O’Keefe, is communicating with black student leaders about theissue, and recently posted a statement in an “Issues & Answers” section ofthe LSU Web site that charts a middle ground between those who abhor the flagand those who, whatever their thoughts about slavery, recognize the U.S.Constitution protects symbolic speech.
“In thisgreat nation and at this great university, we are free to express ourselves. Weneed to defend this right of free speech,” the statement says. “As such, wecannot and will not ban or prohibit the display of symbols.
To do sowould impede and inhibit free speech. But that doesn’t mean we should sanction irresponsibility.We cannot accept intolerance or actions that are designed to provoke racialdivisiveness and hatred.”
Later in thestatement, the chancellor said: “We need to send a strong message to thosewithin our family and those visiting our campus that LSU does not condone orsupport the display of this symbol.”
LSU doesn’tallow the sale of the Confederate flag on campus. It also is sending outletters to vendors reiterating a position taken years ago that LSU does notgrant permission for use of its name or “proprietary colors” in selling suchflags.
It remainsto be seen how such a warning will affect shops such as Tyger Gifts inMetairie, which sells a purple and gold version of the Confederate flag for$30. Shop owner Grace Bankston said 11 of the flags have been sold since theywere made available through a Nebraska company in October.
