Black South Carolina college student defends Confederate flag
theGRIO REPORT - A black student from South Carolina told CNN's Hala Gorani that he was not offended by the Confederate flag and defended its use.
A black college student from South Carolina told CNN’s Hala Gorani that he is not offended by the Confederate flag.
Byron Thomas, whose YouTube video regarding the flag has been makings its rounds online, claims to have had an ancestor who fought during the Civil War, which he says means he feels differently about the flag than many others do.
“I do not feel offended… I refuse to allow a symbol or word have power over me to make me feel offended,” he said.
Pointing to South Carolina specifically as having done the right thing giving pensions to black troops after the war, he said that he was not offended by the flag, though he understood why others might be.
Watch Thomas explain why the Confederate flag shouldn’t be removed below:
When asked if tragedies like the Charleston shooting would change his views of the flag, Thomas replied, “I refuse to allow this evilness to make me feel a different way about my flag.”
