NASCAR will no longer allow Confederate flags to be flown during its races or events. The announcement came days after Bubba Wallace, NASCAR’s only Black driver, spoke out against the flag, according to The Associated Press.
During a race on Monday, June 8, 2020, Wallace honored George Floyd by wearing a black T-shirt with the words “I Can’t Breathe” and told reporters, “My next step would be to get rid of all Confederate flags.”
The Confederate flag has been a signature at auto races during NASCAR’s 72-year history. Fans often bring the flag to races and wear clothing with the symbol.
However, officials at NASCAR have decided to take a stand and released the following statement:
“The presence of the Confederate flag at NASCAR events runs contrary to our commitment to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all fans, our competitors and our industry. Bringing people together around a love for racing and the community that it creates is what makes our fans and sport special. The display of the Confederate flag will be prohibited from all NASCAR events and properties.”
The Confederate flag is a symbol of oppression and slavery for Blacks. Imagine if Jewish men, women and children were forced to look at large statues of Adolph Hitler, Hermann Göering or Gen. Alfred Jodl as they travel to work, home and school. Hitler, Goering and Jodl were all terrorists of the Jewish people. But all symbols and statues of anything Nazi-related were destroyed and banned in Germany after World War II. It’s now illegal to wear or uphold a swastika in Germany.
Blacks in America are still forced to see Confederate symbols a hate-driven past. For example, when looking at the history of Nathan Bedford Forrest, how could true Americans allow such a brutal man to be honored with statues and parks? Forrest was a slave owner and the first Grand Wizard of the KKK. Forrest and other members of the KKK, mostly former Confederate soldiers, initially attempted to persuade Blacks to return to slavery after passage of the Emancipation Proclamation. When that didn’t work, the KKK began to use violence to intimidate, brutalize and kill Blacks. The KKK would eventually be known as the largest terrorist of Blacks in the nation.
Indeed, NASCAR made a profound move to ban Confederate flags.
