The Confederate flag is finally being addressed across America in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, though we've still got a very long way to go. Sevendust guitarist Clint Lowery acknowledges the band used to use the flag "as a spoof" in their earlier days, but says it wasn't a good choice in retrospect.
Lowery said Sevendust was "trying to kinda use it in this cynical way, so it's gonna completely misunderstood now. We were using it in a smart-ass way… It's confusing."
"We're all being educated — everyone's being educated. Things we thought were cool before aren't cool anymore, and I understand why they're not cool anymore. And it's, like, okay, yeah, I didn't know enough about what the situation was to even have a… It was just ignorance. You do things as a younger person — you're, like, 'Oh yeah, this is cool. This is against the grain' — and you realize the sensitivities; you learn about it. And that's what I think that I'm trying to do — is, like, okay, that wasn't cool. That wasn't a decision that was something I'm very proud of. You live and learn, you admit when you do wrong and you change. And that's what everyone needs to do. I can't control anybody. I just do what I do, try to be as open and loving as I can. And that's it."
Lowery added he's bringing his kids up to be educated.
"My contribution to this world is gonna be my education that I give to my kids and show them love and show them how to give love to others of all and every background. But then I'm also gonna teach 'em to defend themselves — that people in general can be good; people in general can be bad. But for the most part, you treat people with kindness and respect. And if anything changes — someone's coming at you, verbally or physically — you defend yourself. 'Cause that's gonna happen too. But I really just wanna show them love, and I love that they have compassion in their hearts at a very young age. My proudest moment will be sending two people out in this world that have a good heart. That's really all I want."
