Should Confederate flag be displayed? ABA president, state officials, stores take a stand against it
A call Monday by South Carolina’s governor for the removal of the Confederate battle flag from the state capitol grounds was swiftly followed by announcements from additional states, major retailers and at least one flag manufacturer that they, too, are taking action to limit the flag’s display.
Considered by some a proud symbol of their southern heritage, the Confederate battle flag has also symbolized to many an era of African-American slavery, segregation and ongoing white supremacy. Its link to a white man accused of shooting to death nine people last week in a hate crime inside a historic black church in Charleston, South Carolina, has sparked the current movement to relegate the flag to a place in history. The suspect, Dylann Roof, drove a car with a Confederate flag vanity plate and was pictured holding the flag in photos.
Lawmakers in South Carolina swiftly agreed to consider removing the flag, USA Today reports. The flag had been installed on the state capitol’s dome in 1962, then moved to a nearby Confederate memorial in 2000. A two-thirds majority in both legislative houses will be required to remove it, under the current law.
The governor’s call to remove the Confederate flag was joined Tuesday by American Bar Association President William C. Hubbard. “Regardless of whether one believes the flag represented a way to honor Confederate soldiers or—on the other side—that it has never been more than a sign of oppression, it is clear that this flag today is used by hate groups and others as a symbol in support of a racist agenda. And it is clear that the flag divides us as a people,” Hubbard said in an ABA press release. “It is time to take the flag down—now.”
Gov. Robert Bentley of Alabama ordered the Confederate flag and three other Civil War-era flags removed from his own state’s capitol grounds on Wednesday, reports AL.com. The Republican governor told a reporter that it was partially because of the Charleston shooting, but that he had other reasons as well. “This is the right thing to do. We are facing some major issues in this state regarding the budget and other matters that we need to deal with. This had the potential to become a major distraction as we go forward. I have taxes to raise, we have work to do. And it was my decision that the flag needed to come down.”
Meanwhile, in Mississippi, a top elected Republican lawmaker is calling for that state to change its own flag to remove the reference to the Confederate flag in its design, reports the Clarion-Ledger.
“We must always remember our past, but that does not mean we must let it define us,” said state House Speaker Philip Gunn in a written statement provided to the newspaper. “As a Christian, I believe our state’s flag has become a point of offense that needs to be removed. We need to begin having conversations about changing Mississippi’s flag.”
Amazon, eBay, Sears and Walmart say they will stop selling the Confederate flag and associated merchandise, reports CNN. In the meantime, online sales of the flag, at least, have skyrocketed, the article notes.
“We hope that this decision will show our support for those affected by the recent events in Charleston and, in some small way, help to foster racial unity and tolerance in our country,” said Pennsylvania-based Valley Forge Flag, explaining its decision to stop manufacturing Confederate flags in a written statement provided to Reuters.
In at least three states (Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia), governors have announced that they favor removing the Confederate flag from automobile license plates, reports the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.).
Previously, appeals courts had required the states to permit the flag on license plates. However, a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last week that Texas did not violate the First Amendment by nixing the Confederate flag on its license plates has now put other states in the driver’s seat.
“The time is right to change this policy due to the recent Supreme Court ruling and the tragedy in Charleston,” said a spokesman for North Carolina’s Republican leader as he announced that Gov. Pat McCrory would ask state lawmakers to stop issuing license plates with a Confederate insignia.
Related coverage:
KABC: “A look at the U.S. states using Confederate flag imagery”
Politico: “Calls to remove Confederate flag go national”
Wonkblog (via the Washington Post, reg. req,): “Map: The United States of Confederate-flag shopping”
