No matter what one may think of the opinions expressed in either The Hatchet’s Jan. 18 editorial, Stars and Barred (p. 4) or in Brian Schoeneman’s response (Jan. 20, p.4, Flag Misunderstood), this topic has raised an interesting question in my mind: With the myriad and complex problems facing black Americans, why are the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and other supposed advocates of minority issues spending such tremendous time and energy over a flag?

After all, the black community in America has the highest rates of unemployment, infant mortality, incarceration and illegitimacy in the country. While I understand why blacks may feel animosity toward a symbol of the Confederate States of America, I fail to see any reasonable justification for the leadership of the black community to put such a huge effort into bringing down a flag instead of addressing the problems of the people they purport to represent.

The flap over the Confederate flag in South Carolina is equally as pointless in my mind as the ongoing negotiations between the NAACP and the television networks to include more minority-oriented shows on television. A black star of ER, a new Hispanic Friend, or the lowering of the Confederate flag in Columbia, S.C., will not create one new job, prevent a single crime, or in any way, shape or form, address the problems in black America.

Perhaps the membership of the NAACP should hold its leadership’s feet to the fire. If the organization is about more than creating photo ops for its president, then maybe it will abandon these pointless and irrelevant causes and focus on its real mission.

-Joseph Daniel Ura junior