During Monday’s episode of ABC’s “The View,” co-host Sunny Hostin shared [1] that seeing large displays of American flags in certain communities makes her feel “unsafe.”
Hostin began by reflecting on the different ways people experience life in the United States.
She said that while many consider America “the best country in the world,” others have lived experiences that shape their perceptions in very different ways.
She referenced moments that she views as defining for Black Americans, noting that displays of patriotism can sometimes feel exclusionary or intimidating depending on context.
Hostin discussed the group Patriot Front, which she described as a “white nationalist organization founded in 2017 after the deadly Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.”
According to her comments, Patriot Front promotes “an ultra nationalist ideology that focuses on creating a white ethno-state in the United States” and aims to reshape American society to fit a racially uniform vision.
Hostin said that these associations affect her personal sense of security.
“As a Black woman, I’m sitting there in my country, and that’s the type of fear I have to experience,” she explained.
She went on to describe how seeing American flags throughout some neighborhoods can evoke those same feelings.
Hostin stated, “When I walk into a community and I see American flags all over the community and I suddenly feel unsafe because there is a section of this country that has co-opted the American flag.”
She continued that, in her view, some groups have come to “equate being an American or an American flag with white supremacy.”
Hostin emphasized that this transformation of the flag’s meaning should never have happened. “That should never be ever the symbol of white supremacy,” she said firmly.
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Other co-hosts on the panel appeared to listen as she explained that her reaction stemmed from seeing the American flag used in ways that no longer represent unity or inclusion for everyone.
The conversation highlighted the emotional divide that national symbols can evoke among Americans who associate patriotism with different values or groups.
Hostin framed her comments as an effort to highlight how symbolism, when misused, can have real impacts on people’s sense of belonging.
She concluded by reaffirming that her discomfort arises not from the flag itself, but from how it has been adopted by groups promoting exclusionary ideologies.