The Pentagon announced on Friday that has created a policy that would ban Confederate flags on all Military property. Debate over whether to ban the Confederate flag in the United States has gained traction in recent weeks amid the Black Lives Matter movement, signaling a need for progressive change in the United States.
The new policy, which has not actually been given a name by the Pentagon, reveals that the Pentagon has banned any flags that contribute to a divisive narrative. Only a select number of flags will be permitted to be flown on Military property in the future. Some of these approved flags include the United States flag, individual state flags and flags of U.S. territories and the District of Columbia, as well as the flags of the Military and any U.S. allies. This policy signals a decision to come to a mutual agreement between those in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and those that oppose to the change.
However, President Trump contributed to the divisive narrative over the weekend with a controversial interview with Fox News’ Chris Wallace, where he called the banning of the Confederate flag an issue of Freedom of Speech. “When people – when people proudly have their Confederate flags, they’re not talking about racism. They love their flag, it represents the south, they like the south. People right now like the south. I’d say it’s freedom of, of, of many things, but it’s freedom of speech,” said Trump in the interview.
Other organizations have opted to ban the Confederate flag as well, citing its controversial past in relation to racial tension in the United States. NASCAR, for example, banned the flag last month. Mississippi on the other hand voted to re-design its state flag to remove the Confederate emblem from the flag’s upper corner. The design has been retired, and its new flag will be voted on in the November 2020 ballot by Mississippi citizens.
