THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 22, 1996 TAG: 9609220015
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KIA MORGAN ALLEN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 59 lines
There was no image more loathsome to Gregory Williams when he was young.
He says he grew up tainted by the scathing sight of the omnipresent Confederate flag that swayed above him throughout his home state of South Carolina, even in the Capitol building.
That indelible image prompted Williams to create what he calls the ``African-American Rebel Flag'' - a symbol of liberation and pride for his own people.
``After growing up in South Carolina, all I had seen was the Confederate flag,'' Williams said last week. ``It made me realize that African Americans weren't being represented.''
On Saturday, Williams made his first presentation of the flag to the public at the Berkley Civic League Celebration.
He and his promotion partner Arthur Alston, a recording producer, are on a campaign to make the African-American community conscious of the flag and its meaning. They have been circulating information about the flag throughout Hampton Roads and have plans to spread the word to African Americans in southern states like Georgia, South Carolina, Texas and Mississippi.
``I first presented it to my parents and pastor, and they liked it. Also I knew I had to get it out whether it was by myself or a grass roots effort, that's what I'm trying to do.''
Williams and his partner have made T-shirts, key chains and other rebel paraphernalia. Williams hopes the emblem catches on as a symbol of pride and hope.
``I don't want it to be a fad. Don't wear this because this is popular,'' he said. ``Wear it because this is your flag. Be proud of it all the time.''
The Confederate flag serves as a symbol of pride in cultural heritage and privileges during slavery for a number of whites, he said.
But for Williams, now 30, it was a constant reminder of oppression, racism and inequality. Williams moved from Conway, S.C., but the images of the Confederate flag remained.
A petty officer first class in the Navy, Williams said he had lots of time on his hands in 1995 when he was on an overseas assignment and started creating drawings that would depict the final image he has today.
``I just started doodling and just trying different things, and all of a sudden I drew a diamond and it just came to me,'' he said.
The rebel flag has a green background, black stripes in the upper right and lower left corner, a red diamond in the middle emblazoned with the word ``struggle,'' and 12 black stars that surround it. The 12th star represents the North Star, which led slaves to freedom from the South to the North. The 11 others represent the 11 states in the Confederacy and each black slave community.
The diamond symbolizes the richness in the hearts of African Americans, the stripes are the strong arms of African-American ancestors who helped build the nation, he said. The green background represents the grassy African plain. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
MOTOYA NAKAMURA/The Virginian-Pilot
Arthur Alston, left, and Gregory Williams are campaigning in Hampton
Roads to make the African-American community conscious of the
African-American Rebel Flag and its meaning. by CNB