A video of a woman apologizing while burning her Confederate battle flag has gone viral on TikTok with more than 492,000 views.
The video shows user @tiktok_hates_me__, Danielle, cutting the flag from a pole with scissors and burning the corner of the flag with a lighter. “I’m sorry if I ever showed I was ‘racist’ from a flag,” the video caption says. “I’m white. I’m redneck, but never racist. RIP to this racist flag.”
Danielle says she grew up in the South and was never taught that the flag symbolized white supremacy and slavery because the Confederacy fought to uphold slavery during the Civil War. Other people online who also grew up in the South said they could relate.
“I grew up in South Georgia,” one user commented. “It was just a thing that was seen as heritage. Nobody saw it for what it stood for.”
“In short, the flag has been used by various groups of people who oppose civil rights,” Danielle says in a follow-up video. “In particular, civil rights of Black people and minorities.”
Many people online said their respect for her went up and praised her for making the change to educate herself on racist symbols.
“Thank you for swallowing your pride on this,” one user commented. “People need to see this.”
When a user says she is doing the “bare minimum,” Danielle replies, “What the fuck do you expect me to do? Support Black Lives Matter? Because I do.”
She says she traveled far to attend Black Lives Matter rallies and is in the process of getting rid of any Confederate items she owns and educating her kids about its racist history.
“If something is hurting enough people for it to be an argument, it’s time that we have to change,” she says.
Despite overwhelming positive responses, other people online still pointed out how much she still has to learn. Danielle said, “Black people are dangerous too” in response to someone’s comment about white people being dangerous in weaponizing their tears.
“You’re like almost there but you gotta keep working and learning and listening to POC,” one user commented. “It takes that and much more for us white folk to unlearn.”
The Daily Dot was unable to reach Danielle for a request to comment.
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