After the Civil War, the South was in shambles. While attempting to piece back together its countryside and its pride, a number of Southern states passed what would become known as Jim Crow laws — regulations that became the biggest setback for equality in the nation since slavery.

Jim Crow laws were used to discriminate against the newly freed African-Americans. They included limits on public school attendance and the use of public restaurants, theaters, hotels, cinemas, public transportation and drinking fountains. These laws were upheld by the Supreme Court in the 1896 case of Plessy v. Ferguson, where all but one justice ruled that “separate but equal” was constitutional.

Jim Crow laws have long since passed, in large part due to the 1964 Civil Rights Act. But although no longer in use, the laws have yet to be forgotten, and unfortunately, in some places, the remnants of them still remain.

Such is the case in Dallas County, Texas, where a sign reading “Whites Only” is now visible above a water fountain in its Records Building. The words are etched into the marble wall, which until recently, were covered. In a 4-1 vote, the Dallas County Commissioners Court decided to preserve the words and place a plaque explaining their significance next to it.

While it is necessary for the country to learn from its mistakes, it is questionable whether a sign that for so many years was used to intimidate and discriminate should actually remain in the wall.

A similar inquiry can be made in regards to Georgia’s state flag, a symbol that still contains the Confederate insignia. According to the Associated Press, a new flag was adopted by the Legislature in 2001 to avoid racial turmoil. The former flag displayed a large insignia that was significantly decreased on the new flag.

Republican Gov. Sonny Perdue has drafted a referendum to be voted on in March 2004. It gives voters three choices for flag designs: the current flag, the old flag with the larger confederate insignia, or a flag with no confederate symbol at all. The referendum is nonbinding.

Restoring the Georgia flag would do more to preserve history, though, than keeping a sign that is threatening in nature to minorities. Rather, the marble with the words “Whites only” should be removed and put in a display case in the building. This would be a more effective way to teach that what was done in the past is wrong.

It is important that history not be forgotten. Citizens of this country need to remember the injustices that our ancestors were a part of.

But leaving up this sign, even for history’s sake, is unreasonable. Display it in a way that more effectively shows that this country has learned from its past wrongs.

Editorial Board: Cavan Reagan, Amber Billings, Ayrel Clark, Charlie Weaver, Katie List