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posted by martyb on Thursday June 11 2020, @01:27PM   Printer-friendly
from the A-See-Change dept.

Many sources are reporting what we can read at ABC News,

NASCAR banned the Confederate flag from its races and properties on Wednesday, formally distancing itself from what for many is a symbol of slavery and racism that had been a familiar sight at stock car events for more than 70 years.

The move comes amid social unrest around the globe following the death in police custody of George Floyd, an unarmed black man in Minneapolis. Protests have roiled the nation for days and Confederate monuments are being taken down across the South — the tradtiional fan base for NASCAR.

[...] The issue was pushed to the fore this week as Bubba Wallace, NASCAR's lone black driver, called for the banishment of the Confederate flag and said there was "no place" for them in the sport. At long last, NASCAR obliged.

"The presence of the confederate flag at NASCAR events runs contrary to our commitment to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all fans, our competitors and our industry," NASCAR said. "Bringing people together around a love for racing and the community that it creates is what makes our fans and sport special. The display of the confederate flag will be prohibited from all NASCAR events and properties."

[...] The move was announced before Wednesday night's race at Martinsville Speedway where Wallace, an Alabama native, was driving a Chevrolet with a #BlackLivesMatter paint scheme. Wallace got a shoutout on Twitter from several athletes, including NBA star LeBron James, for using the paint scheme in the race.


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  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Thexalon on Thursday June 11 2020, @04:12PM (2 children)

    by Thexalon (636) on Thursday June 11 2020, @04:12PM (#1006366)

    Yeah, it's their identity ... that just happens to have been identifying with slavery. Oh, and the symbol in question was largely forgotten until the second major incarnation of the KKK popularized it. So it's your "heritage" only if the heritage you take pride in is fighting for slavery and the Klan.

    Here's another way of looking at it: How would you react to governments and major corporations plastering the red-black-green pan-African flag complete with a "black power" fist, all over everything?

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  • (Score: 2) by gtomorrow on Thursday June 11 2020, @07:36PM (1 child)

    by gtomorrow (2230) on Thursday June 11 2020, @07:36PM (#1006542)

    Ooh! I'm thinking I'd LIKE that! ✊

    Fight the power! JESUS WAS BLACK! Tereuà tat!

    • (Score: 2) by Thexalon on Thursday June 11 2020, @07:55PM

      by Thexalon (636) on Thursday June 11 2020, @07:55PM (#1006562)

      I'm sure you would, and I'd be fine with it (for instance, there's a nice park section in my nearest big city in honor of African-Americans with that flag flying proudly), but the same racists who are promoting the Confederate flag as "heritage" wouldn't like that at all.

      --
      The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.