Bonnie Watson Coleman: “Earlier today, the distinguished gentlewoman from California introduced a privileged resolution, not too different from…”

“Earlier today, the distinguished gentlewoman from California introduced a privileged resolution, not too different from the one my friend and colleague Mr. Thompson brought to the floor just last week. Mr. Speaker, that resolution called for the immediate removal of the Confederate battle flag from the Capitol grounds. And my colleagues across the aisle moved quickly to banish that resolution to die in committee. Earlier today, the original home of the Confederacy argued, but agreed, that the Confederate flag and the history it represents belong in a museum. They decided that the flag should not serve as a bright, waving reminder of the discrimination and disparity of treatment for people of color that still lingers in communities across our country-- hateful sentiments that resulted in the loss of nine lives at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston. They decided that that flag should not hang high above the halls of State government, forcing all those who see it to wonder whether the emotions and ideology so closely tied to it are present in the hearts and minds of those who serve in that statehouse. They decided that the flag had flown long enough, and that taking it down would be one small but critical step in healing the deep divisions present in their State. They stood against the symbol of bigotry, they stood against years of complacency, and they stood for the principles of equality, justice, and unity for this Nation. They will take that flag down tomorrow.…”