Opinion: When trivia isn’t trivial
In this June, 27, 2015, file photo, Bree Newsome of Charlotte, N.C., climbs a flagpole to remove the Confederate battle flag at a Confederate monument in front of the Statehouse in Columbia, S.C. After nine black parishioners were slain at a Charleston church, South Carolina did what many thought would never happen: It moved the Confederate flag off Statehouse grounds. (Bruce Smith, AP File)

Steve Montgomery
Steve Montgomery was ordained in 1980 and became senior pastor at Idlewild Presbyterian Church in 2000 after serving churches in Appalachia and Atlanta. He retired from Idlewild in 2019.
Bree Newsome is the African American woman who scaled the flagpole at the South Carolina capital to bring down the Confederate flag after Dylann Roof killed nine people in Charleston, South Carolina. It is my hope that her name is not relegated to the dustbins of trivial history. Bree Newsome. Hardly trivial.
Want to comment on our stories or respond to others? Join the conversation by subscribing now. Only paid subscribers can add their thoughts or upvote/downvote comments. Our commenting policy can be viewed here.