ELK GROVE, Calif. — Anthony White lives in Elk Grove and says he often doesn't think people acknowledge the story that comes along with the Confederate flag.
“The slavery side of it, the entire story of the lynching and all these things that are connected to that, it must be said,” White said.
White said he doesn’t wear or fly the confederate flag, because it is not something that brings him interest, however, he understands that all views don't align with his.
“Be willing to embrace the entire story of the history of that flag. If you are comfortable with the entire story after that, more power to you, but don’t walk into it uninformed,” he said.
Sacramento historian Marcia Eymann says the Confederate flag was made in the 1800s as part of the southern rebellion against the United States.
“That deep, deep racism that is part of slavery is so much a part of that flag and what it represented,” Eymann said.
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The flags ties to slavery is why Eymann says many people find the flag offensive, but, to this day, people living in southern states hold on to the loss of the war and see the flag as a symbol of pride.
“That anger and frustration is still there. It’s a sign of rebellion. It’s a sign of their rights,” Eymann said.
In 2020, the flag is a nostalgic piece for some people and, for others, it represents repression and slavery.
Although the way people may view it may change, the history behind the Confederate flag will always remain the same.
“We have to start looking at those symbols like the flag that are there all the time and [ask] what do they really represent? And [start] to pay attention to that,” Eymann said.