Having been born in Albert Lea, I am always excited to hear it mentioned in national stories.

But, the story was about a firefighter flying the Confederate battle flag, the very symbol of racism, during a Fourth of July parade.

How sad that Minnesotans don’t know that Strom Thurmond of South Carolina was responsible for reviving that flag when he ran for president in 1948 to protest the fact that Harry Truman had integrated the U.S. Armed Forces. When South Carolina seceded from the Union, they declared loudly and boldly that it was because they believed in white superiority.

Minnesota was the first state to send troops to support the the Union.

Let us not forget our history. The Minnesota I grew up in knew that “we are all in this together.” What happened?

 

John Zwiebel

Kalaheo, Hawaii