Before I give my viewpoint, let me give some historical reference. The Confederacy was a group states that seceded from (turned their back on) America to protect slavery. In November of 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected president. One of his major campaign stances, as we know, was to keep slavery from spreading to new states which evolved into the abolition of slavery. The South did not take kindly to his initial stance, and in response, South Carolina took the plunge that would divide our nation. In December of 1860, they were the first state to secede. Ten other states then followed their lead (Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee and North Carolina). As any country, they established a flag and also, the more recognizable: Confederate Battle Flag. This flag is still widely celebrated and showcased in America. Mind you, this flag represented the fight to preserve slavery. It is time for the celebration of this flag to end. There is NOTHING patriotic about the confederacy and what it stands for. This flag is the battle flag of traitors. This is the flag of people who defended slavery and rejected human rights. This flag represents those who turned their backs on America and refused to progress as a country. The Confederate flag is no better than the Nazi flag. Any flag that celebrates a “superior race” such as the Nazi or Confederate flags have no room for celebration. In fact, flying the Confederate flag is equivalent to flying the Nazi flag in Germany today. It is a constant middle finger to the people it oppressed for years. It is a constant reminder of a dark past. In fact, they are so similar that on Friday and Saturday white supremacists marched with both flags for the SAME purpose.

It is also time to stop celebrating Confederate “war heroes.” We see the celebration of these men all over the South. We find schools named after them, statues erected in their names, roads named after them, etc. Their faces are even etched into the side Stone Mountain. They are glorified in the South and for what reason? Were they great strategic minds or great generals? I guess. Does that make them deserving of statues and celebration? Absolutely not. Does Germany celebrate Hitler? No. Do they celebrate Goering (Hitler’s right hand man)? No. But yet, America still celebrates these Confederate Generals. They chose to be a part of the wrong side of history defending the enslavement of human beings. Yes, you can make an argument that Robert E. Lee wanted to fight with the Union and was offered Ulysses S. Grant’s position. Lee, however, chose to go with Virginia who seceded. He chose the side of hate. He chose to battle for the side of slavery. He chose to be on the side of preserving white supremacy. When he did this, he lost the opportunity to be celebrated. He chose not to fight for human rights. It is time for America to stop idolizing these men. These generals, like Lee, who were traitors to America. As long as America glorifies these men we will forever live in their shadows.

I am not trying to “erase” history as some would complain. I am a history teacher. I believe history is important. Without history it is impossible to grow as a country or as individuals. The problem with celebrating this past is that it prohibits our country from growing and adapting. It is time we put this era behind us and grow. There is no superior race. Our country is easily the most diverse country in the world. Our country is unique and it is time that America, Donald Trump and white supremacists stop fighting against equality. Enough is enough.

In a time where we are working toward progress, we have elected a candidate that has called Mexicans “criminals and rapists” and has threatened deportation. He is accused of sexually assaulting women and made comments that feed into the problem of rape culture. He has blamed African-Americans for a majority of the crimes AND brushed off the amount of African Americans killed by police and he has threatened a ban on Muslims. All of these comments and promises are daggers at 99% of the students I have taught. With all of this, I want to get off the election soapbox and focus on my students.

To my students who are Muslim, thank you for being apart of my class and willingly sharing about Islamic traditions. In the 7th grade, we learn about all world religions and some of the students only know Christianity. These students have helped spread the awareness that even though Islam is under attack that they are humans. Teachers dream of students who can help teach and raise awareness. Yes there are radicals but that is in all faiths. In EVERY faith there are people that do bad but that makes up such a small percentage. Please keep your heads up. Don’t let anyone crush you for your beliefs. We have the freedom of religion for a reason. Live it out. Keep grinding.

To my Latino students, keep grinding and working hard. Never give up. Thank you for amusing me (and yourselves) on grading me for my spanish and trying to teach me. Thank you for your willingness to go above and beyond. Thank you for working hard. You can be the future. You can help make the change. Don’t put your head down. Instead prove society wrong.

To all my female students, you are so much more than society says you are. You can do anything that you have set your mind to. You don’t have to live within the box that were set by the “old norms.” You are not a “piece of meat” that Donald Trump and too many men think that women are. You are so much more than that. Stand up to rape culture. It is not your fault that men are pigs no matter how they want to spin it. Stand up to men that treat you less than. Have big dreams and chase them. I pray that you are the ones that can break the societal misconceptions. Keep fighting.

Finally to my African American students, you are not the thugs that society paints you to be. I fear for all of my students every day that there is a new unjust killing. I fear that one of my students will be the next #hashtag. I fear that you will not receive the justice and equality you so dearly deserve. As I have said previously and to many of you…keep grinding. I may no longer be your teacher but I will be in the trenches with you. I pray that in your lifetime and not in a new 60 years we have actual change. I pray that one day I am voting for one of you as Governor, Mayor, Senator or even President. I hope that one day when I drop my kids off at school I will see one of you as their teacher. I pray that I see continued success in your life. Keep protesting and keep fighting. You deserve so much more.

I love each and every one of you and will fight for you every step of the way,

Mr. Avera