In the wake of the Charleston tragedy, South Carolina leaders have called for the removal of the Confederate Flag from the State House grounds. The flag, often used as a symbol of hate and white supremacy, can often be seen flying atop of RV’s on the grounds of many NASCAR events. Today, the organization issued a statement in support of Governor Nikki Haley’s call for its removal, but stopped short of saying it will ban it from races.
“As we continue to mourn the tragic loss of life last week in Charleston, we join our nation’s embrace of those impacted. NASCAR supports the position that South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley took on the Confederate Flag on Monday. As our industry works collectively to ensure that all fans are welcome at our races, NASCAR will continue our long-standing policy to disallow the use of the Confederate Flag symbol in any official NASCAR capacity. While NASCAR recognizes that freedom of expression is an inherent right of all citizens, we will continue to strive for an inclusive environment at our events.”
If NASCAR really wants to make a statement in favor of inclusion they would ban the flag all together. The sport has been making efforts to become more diverse, but they can’t expect to make real strides in that regard if people of other cultures feel unwelcome and are reminded of deep-seeded hatred every time they see that flag flying on the grounds of one of their events.