My comment that heritage and racism aren't mutually exclusive means that things can be both at the same time. Many of the people celebrating "heritage" can also be racist or the thing they are celebrating may be racist though accurately part of their heritage as well.
It isn't limited to a particular political party though one Party has the edge currently in their policies. Democrats in their history have been more racist and have a higher body count. One can argue that former Democrats took over the Republican Party when they got disgusted with Truman and later Kennedy and LBJ. Truman was at least on paper a member of the Klan yet he integrated the armed forces. Eisenhower was a Republican yet helped pass Brown v. Board of Education. LBY,(who did use the word n*gger frequently passed civil rights legislation.
There hasn't been a President I can think of without at least one racist statement as part of his pedigree, that includes Carter and especially includes Trump, Reagan, Nixon, and each Bush. The one possibility is Obama who gets accused of being racist and a divider whenever he spoke about race but i can't think of an example of a racist statement. Saying Trayvon Martin looked like him isn't racist.
I may often condemn Republicans because their policies are racist. Voter suppression is actually heritage but is also racist. The Southern Strategy is racist. The work requirements related to debt ceiling relief had a racist intent though it will affect more white people than Black or brown. Their immigration policy is racist. The filibusters of today sound remarkably like the ones of the 1960's regarding civil rights (though they included Democrats). There is no Party that isn't racist, just strategically less so. Were there a better alternative to Democrats I would consider it, but Republicans are such a low bar to exceed.
A monument to a racist may be considered heritage, but it's an affront to not only my heritage but American heritage. There are no monuments to Hitler in Germany and we don't neeed them of Nathan B. Forrest who fought against this country and was the first significant leader of the Klan. A ststue to him, Robert E. Lee, or dozens of others may be heritage, but is also racist. I may have only confused you more but just because something is heritage doesn't mean it cant be racist. The same is true in reverse.
