When I was 5, we had a set of books about WWII. The cover was a collage of photos, airplanes, soldiers, the atomic bomb, Hitler etc. I noticed pinwheels and spent half the day drawing them. My Mother was horrified when I showed her. "Swasticas, Tara?!?"

Huh? No, pinwheels. 1/

She wanted to know where I'd seen them, and why I was drawing them.

She was relieved when I showed her the books. She did her best to explain that swasticas were a symbol of hate and that they scared people. I asked her what if I put hearts by it? No, draw something else. 2/

Growing up in Texas, we were taught that the Civil War wasn't about slavery, it was fought over "state's rights." They focused on the devastation the South suffered as a result of the war. I remember thinking of the Union as "the enemy" in Jr. High. 3/

General Robert E. Lee was described as a hero. The Dukes of Hazard was popular at the time and their car "The General Lee" had the stars and bars of the Confederate Flag painted on it, and Luke and Bi Duke were good guys. (I never noticed the moonshine business going on?? ) 4/

As a teenager, the Confederate flag, or the "Rebel flag" was a symbol of rebelling, bucking the system, doing things your own way. One of my favorite songs was "Rebel Yell" by Billy Idol. All of these little things somehow artificially altered what the Confederate flag meant. 5/

Because of the time period I grew up in, the pop culture that glossed over the awful reality of the Civil War. Topped with a lack of honesty in our history books I never associated that flag with anything negative except maybe authority.

I never owned a Confederate Flag, I don't remember anything with a depiction of the flag other than the General Lee's paint job on my Dukes of Hazard lunch box

So for some people, the meaning behind it was never about oppression, slavery, or hatred. However, once I learned the truth about the Civil War and most certainly when I learned what the Confederate flag represents to the black community, I have tried to explain to the

"My heritage" crowd that we were duped. Most reasonable people understand this and it's not hard at all to let it go.

You will never see me fight to fly a Confederate flag, in fact, the opposite. I don't want to see one flying anywhere except Civil War movies.

To white people in the South, the Confederacy isn't our heritage, it is our shame. It shouldn't be forgotten, but it shouldn't be celebrated. We are United States citizens, the Confederates were racist, willing to separate from the country and kill to enslave human beings

The"my heritage" crowd are the very same people who say "I didn't own slaves, my parents, grandparents, great grandparents didn't own slaves, so don't blame me."

You can't cling to that heritage and demand to be held blameless at the same time.

Lower the flags, ditch the statues, you are losing absolutely nothing except the reminders of our racist, traitorous past that are still dividing our country's people and we can all move forward.

We all know better now.