On the recordJuly 9, 2015
I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, last night the South Carolina House of Representatives finally approved legislation to take down this symbol of hatred and bigotry and the darkest time in our Nation's history. It is shameful that less than 24 hours after the State of South Carolina took this important step for progress and equality that the United States House of Representatives would consider an amendment that would allow the Confederate flag to be placed in National Park Service cemeteries. Let's be clear. This amendment is a symbol of hate, and anyone who supports its being in a place of honor is imposing an insult on anyone who has experienced racism in their lives or believes in America's founding principles of equality, justice, and freedom. 150 years ago hundreds of thousands of brave soldiers died to save our Union and to defeat all the ugly beliefs that the Confederate battle flag represents. Dr. Martin Luther King was fond of saying that the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice. Our country has come far since the end of the Civil War, but returning this flag to a place of honor would undermine that progress. It is time to relegate this symbol of hate to the dustbin of history. Take it down.
