On the morning of July 10, 2015, another chapter in our nation’s history was hopefully closed. The Confederate flag was removed from the capital of South Carolina--a sight no one in the first state to succeed in the Civil War thought they would see.

Thousands looked upon the ceremony as two state troopers lowered and removed the flag treating it with the respect of a storied symbol of Southern heritage. While the crowd chanted “take it down” and “Na na na na… hey, hey, hey, goodbye” as a symbol of racism and hatred was finally taken down after lasting there for the past fifty years.

The decision came as lawmakers voted to remove the flag after days of heated debate, which in turn were sparked by the massacre of nine black parishioners at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston at the hands of 21-year old Dylann Roof. As Roof is now being held on nine counts of murder, it is believed that his intentions were race-based, with his website filled with rhetoric pronouncing blacks as “the biggest problem for Americans” and pictures of Roof posing with the Confederate flag-as evidence.

If there is one thing that can be taken away from all of this is one thing--racism is not dead. Whether it is the attempts to start a race war from a mentally-ill man, or the context of a 154-year old banner, this is still an issue that drives a hard boundary between the people of the United States. I know you may be thinking, “What place does a nineteen-year old white kid from California, with no experience in stuff like this, have in this discussion?” But that’s just it, if no one talks about it, then who will? I see the recent events in South Carolina as not only a tragedy, but a chance to open up an opportunity for change. The removal the Confederate flag is a step in the right direction.

For many in South Carolina, the Confederate flag has been a point of contention, either representing Southern heritage or the bloody and dark history of the state, yet all in attendance agreed that they were there to witness a historical moment.

Footage of the flags removal can be found here.

Condolences to the families of the nine victims of the Charleston.