Walmart, and other large retailers like Amazon and eBay, have announced that they will stop selling Confederate flag merchandise, reported CNN.
“We never want to offend anyone with the products that we offer,” said Walmart spokesperson Brian Nick. “We have taken steps to remove all items promoting the Confederate flag from our assortment — whether in our stores or on our website. We have a process in place to help lead us to the right decisions when it comes to the merchandise we sell.”
The Confederate flag is a symbol of racism and hate, and only in the last week has the debate prompted any action. However, the debate was reignited after Dylann Roof walked into the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina and killed nine people. After the shooting, outcries against the flag prompted Republican South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley to remove the confederate flag from the statehouse grounds.
Other states have followed suit as Mississippi is considering removing the Confederate insignia from its flag and Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) proposed removing the flag from the state license plate.
The removal of the Confederate flag isn’t just exclusive to flags. Walmart, eBay, Amazon, and Sears will discontinue the sale of any items related to or containing the Confederate flag.
The flag has “become a contemporary symbol of divisiveness and racism,” said an Amazon spokesperson.
After the shooting, a photo of Roof was released showing him holding a gun and a Confederate flag. The flag is a symbol of slavery of hate, despite most conservatives believing otherwise.
Although Walmart and others like it are giant, profit-hiding corporations, they made the right move by discontinuing the sale of Confederate flags and anything related to them.
