Activist Bree Newsome, the woman who bravely took down the Confederate flag from the South Carolina Statehouse over the weekend, released a statement regarding the event which she calls an act of “civil disobedience,” as well as her feelings about the Charleston massacre in addition to detailing her activist history with other headline making racially fueled events like Ferguson and Trayvon Martin.
Newsome released a statement via Blue Nation Review. She explained the collective decision to remove the flag because of the “hatred” it represented.
She elaborated on the systems of oppression in place by saying,
Newsome reiterated that it was about more than just the flag—it was about the culture.
The flag's removal sparked hashtags calling for the flag to stay down "#keepitdown" and for Bree's release after she was arrested "#FreeBree." You can should read Newsome's full statement here.