by Rev. James King
Unity of Greenville, South Carolina
I was grateful for the opportunity to share a teaching moment of grace…
Rev. James King
One Summer day, I looked out the window onto our property and watched a pickup truck with a large confederate flag speeding through the parking lot and heading toward the back of the property by the pond, and decided to see what they were doing. I walked down to where these young men were fishing. They looked to be around 18 or 19 years old. They looked up and nodded at me as I approached them. I introduced myself as the Minister of the Unity Church, and we shook hands.
I explained that we did not typically allow fishing on the property and made some small talk with them. They seemed cordial, so I asked them the question in my mind. “Why were they displaying the confederate flag on the bed of their truck in such a prominent way?” I also asked, “What did this flag mean to them?” They mumbled something about it being their “heritage” in response.
I asked them, “If they understood the symbolism of the confederate flag?” I explained to them that to a black person, this flag was a symbol of pain, torture, and slavery. It is not a positive symbol of freedom but the exact opposite of freedom.
They replied, “We had never heard that before.” I said, “How does that make you feel that another human being would experience such deep pain whenever they gazed upon the confederate flag?”
They again stated that they had no idea other people saw the flag this way. I looked at them for a moment, told them to enjoy their day of fishing, and reminded them it was a one-time deal.
Later I was back in the house and happened to look out the window as the two men drove the truck off the property. The flag was nowhere to be seen, and that felt very good!
I was grateful for the opportunity to share a teaching moment of grace with these two young men.