THE EVOLUTION OF THE CONFEDERACY

My grandmother raised me.

She was born in 1890

Her father and uncles fought for the south in the Civil War

You could say she was first generation after the War

My mother would be second generation

And I guess that would make me the third generation post-Civil War.

I was raised in the Mississippi Delta

‘Colored” water fountains

‘Colored’ waiting rooms at the bus station

We did not celebrate July 4^th for that was when Vicksburg fell

We did celebrate Confederate’s day

Children dressed in Confederate uniforms

And marched in a parade in Vicksburg.

As abhorrent as they are, the feelings of pride in the Confederacy

And even the racial prejudice of those closest generations to the War

Is understandable when viewed as a time frame

When Confederate soldiers were still alive in some southern communities.

But now it has been seven generations

It’s time to take the fucking statues down

Time to admit the sin the Confederacy was built on

A time to recognize that it is no longer about pride of culture and family

But an excuse for bare and bold face racism: white supremacy.

My great-great grandfather Kelly: as a teenager fought in the Civil War for the South.

My Great-great grandfather Gilliland: fought in the Civil War for the North, died at the Battle of Shiloh.

the Ol’Buzzard