Earl Lewis remembers seeing the Stars and Bars when he was a boy growing up in Virginia. But for that conversation to take place, Lewis adds, it will be necessary for Americans to recognize their history. It was Martin Luther King's heritage as well. If the South gave us the Stars and Bars, it also gave us a prophet of understanding. And, oddly enough, we would not have had the one without the other.
History is always our beginning.
What is missing from recent debates is a recognition of what that past means in all its forms. A good question. We need to learn from our past in order to transcend it. ABC News Internet Ventures. Click here for Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and Internet Safety Information applicable to this site.