Bree Newsome: Scaling the Flagpole for Justice

Bree Newsome’s meteoric rise to national fame was the result of a very powerful and deeply meaningful act. In the name of justice and equality, Newsome, an artist, activist, and community organizer, scaled a 30-foot flagpole in front of the South Carolina Capitol Building and removed the Confederate flag. After being arrested, then freed, her social activism made an indelible mark after South Carolina lawmakers voted to permanently remove the flag.

The Saint Mary’s community embraced the opportunity to hear Newsome speak on Monday, February 25, when she served as the featured speaker for the second annual 44 Days Honoring Black History celebration. The title of her presentation, “Tearing Hatred from the Sky,” captivated attendees as she told compelling stories tracing social activism back to slavery. “Since removing the Confederate flag in 2015, it has become even more clear that we are still dealing with racism and really are at a point where we can’t go forward as a country without reconciling with our history and really mapping out a future for democracy and equity,” said Newsome. She shared that it is critically important to have these conversations on college campuses because this is where we will find the next generation of social activists. “If we’re not having these conversations at liberal arts colleges, then where are we having them? I love to come and speak with students. I really want to know what the students are thinking about and where their passion is with everything that is going on in this country,” she added.

Newsome spoke definitively about activism and how it is the key ingredient to bringing about change. She is often asked by students how they can become activists and shared that it is important for people to understand that activism may appear to be one thing in the media, when it’s really so much more. “Some people think that activism means being arrested, being chased by police dogs—very dramatic types of action. But activism literally means taking action,” said Newsome. “The action that we take is really informed by the consciousness with which we operate, so it’s really the consciousness that makes all of the difference. Activism and social movement is many people doing many things in many different places. It’s not everyone doing the same thing. It’s not everybody scaling a flagpole. It’s not everybody protesting in the streets,” she added. Newsome explained that in many ways, the classroom is the front line for activism. “For all of these students who are going into professions where black and brown students traditionally have not been permitted access, they are on the front lines of change in their industries, so I really encourage everybody to not think of activism as a singular type of thing, but to examine how you’re an activist where you are and in what you’re doing in your field of study,” explained Newsome. She posits that when people operate with a level of consciousness to really change society, it serves as a foundation to initiate positive and effective change. “It’s not everyone doing the same thing but a million people doing a million different things.”

Newsome warned that there are many people who believe that we have turned the corner as a country, when the truth is that we have not. She stated that while progress has been realized and segregation is no longer the law of the land, there are still major issues to be addressed. “I was just reviewing the demands from the march on Washington in 1963, and the only issue that was raised at the march that we have settled is access to public facilities. The right to vote is still in question, access to education, access to safe and affordable housing, ending police brutality—these are things we are still fighting for today,” said Newsome. She told the audience she thinks most Americans believe in the idea of a multiracial pluralistic democracy and recognize that we are in a crisis right how. “We’ve been dealing with these issues for a long time, and now, just the idea of democracy itself is under threat, and that’s why these conversations are so critical. I’m happy to be an active participant and to help lead the charge toward effective and meaningful change.”