Bree Newsome Bass on Removing Symbols of Hate

Activist and civil rights organizer Bree Newsome Bass speaks with Rev. Jim Wallis about the importance of removing symbols of hate and the need for a racial reckoning.

Discussing her historic climb up the flagpole to remove the Confederate flag in front of South Carolina's statehouse, Newsome Bass says, "I did truly believe that I was called to do it and that God was going to bring me down safely. I likened it to the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; I'm not going to bow down to this idol.

"One of the things that is significant about the pandemic era, it has really shown how interconnected we are. Just the way that the pandemic spreads, the way that the lack of access to PPE in one community causes it to spread to other communities, shows that there really is no such thing as individuality. Past a certain extent, it's an entirely interconnected society. A pandemic has no inherent biases. It is just a virus that is in search of lungs. It impacts communities based on who has access to resources. And it's as simple as that."