The Problem with
"Dixie"
The song "Dixie" and the Citadel
By John W. M. Flaherty
(Published 5/10/91, News Courier, Charleston,
S.C.)
This letter is in response to the recent letters appearing
in your newspaper on the subject of the song "Dixie" and the Citadel.
I am white, originally from the North and have lived in the south for over four years. I
feel that this places me in a fairly objective position. I hold no special allegiance to
either the black southerner nor the white southerner.
The Civil War was based on the southern states belief that they no longer had control over
their own affairs. States rights. I will add here that the Constitution actually supported
their claims to some extent. Regardless however of the initial reasons for the beginning
of hostilities, the slave issue became a dominant one.
Once fighting ceased, anger, fear, and resentment by the southern states (a natural thing
to expect) coupled with a poorly planned and executed "Reconstruction" by the
smug, condescending victors, assured the growth of distrust and hatred. What group became
the natural target for this outpouring of animosity? The newly freed slaves of course.
Political scientists and Historians have, do, and will continue to re-examine this most
damaging period of our nations history, with varying conclusions.
So here is the point, and there is really no getting around it. The south did support the
enslavement of human beings for profit. The Confederacy did (for whatever reasons) attempt
secession from the United States. The most popular call to war during their existence was
"Dixie". Not a soul in this country could deny the correlation, however small,
of "Dixie" with soldiers in gray and the Confederate battle flag.
For many African Americans, "Dixie" represents the anthem of a nation and people
(the Confederacy) who were in open conflict with the forces which would release them from
their oppression.
Perception is reality. If African Americans perceive this to be true, then it is
to them, and who are non-African Americans to dispute it. When the "fight" song
of a racially mixed school is used to celebrate a score by a largely black team, that song
should not be one that carries such mixed emotions. If this is considered a concession by
some, I would ask you to reevaluate the facts and see that it is a small price to pay for
a more peaceful coexistence.
Perhaps, one day, when we are all truly judged by "the content of our character and
not the color of our skin", "Dixie" may again find a place in our lives as
a sign of our ability to overcome.
