Skip to main content

South Carolina Confederate Flag Comes Down

In an act that seems too unreal to imagine that a symbol of hate and violence could wave atop a federal building in the year 2015, the state of South Carolina finally voted to take down the confederate flag that has been the symbol of southern Jim Crow racism for decades, and most recently the emblem of American terrorist Dylan Roof.

Roof was seen in a picture holding the flag after he murdered nine Mother Emanuel church worshipers, including the minister,

A fiery plea from members of Congress, along with community and national support, tied the hands of South Carolina governor Nikki Haley.




[See also Jenny Horne's emotional plea on House floor]

Nearly ten thousand individuals stood at the state capital shouting "take it down!" while the flag was slowly lowered and transferred to a civil war relic room in an area of the State Capital.

 "That flag is gone, and we're glad to have it gone", said South Carolina representative Todd Rutherford.

In what was a defining moment for the state of South Carolina, Haley said today in an on-air interview, "No one should drive by the State House and feel pain... or feel like they don't belong."

Protesters at State Capital as flag is removed.  Photo: John Bazemore/Star Tribune.

Still, some don't believe the flag was ever a sign of hate, but rather a symbol of confederate heritage.

What's the real deal?   Here's a least one (of many, many) take on the subject.

[See also confederate views from the heart of Dixie]

Representative John Lewis, who marched in the 1960s with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr for human and civil rights for all people said today, “I don’t want to see our little children, whether they are black or white, Latino, Asian-American or Native American, growing up seeing these signs of division... “Hate is too heavy a burden to bear. We need not continue to plant these seeds in the minds of our people.”

What President Obama tweeted about the flag's removal.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

In wake of the Zika virus, travel, spring break still O.K.

Representatives from the CDC and the NIH were on hand at the White House during Monday's press briefing to update the public and address concerns over the Zika virus that has caused some babies to be born with deformities. Dr. Anne Schuchat from the Centers for Disease Control and Dr. Tony Fauci from the National Institutes of Health told reporters that a vaccine is in the making.   The pair also said they are particulary concerned about women who are pregnant, or plan to get pregnant, who have either traveled to or plan to travel to areas of South America and the Carribean known to have the Zika virus. Despite those bold statements, the doctors said there is no wide-spread concern and that Americans should continue to travel, including during upcoming college spring breaks --  when college students travel to warmer climate destinations to escape winter weather. "Travel to Zika-affected areas is very common among Americans, and we don’t think that needs to stop&quo

President Biden's EV Agenda

  Electric Vehicles   President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda is Unleashing a Manufacturing and Clean Energy Boom and Accelerating the Production of Affordable Electric Vehicles   As part of President Biden’s goal of having 50 percent of all new vehicle sales be electric by 2030, the White House is announcing the first set of public and private commitments to support America's historic transition to electric vehicles (EV) under the EV Acceleration Challenge.   These commitments are part of President Biden's  Investing in America  agenda to spur domestic manufacturing, strengthen supply chains, boost U.S. competitiveness and create good-paying jobs. Because of President Biden’s leadership and historic investments, electric vehicle sales have tripled and the number of publicly available charging ports has grown by over 40 percent since he took office. There are now more than three million EVs on the road and over 135,000 public EV chargers across the country.     President

(OTR): The White House on Hamas Terrorist Attack

 Tip: long read. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 10, 2023 VIRTUAL ON-THE-RECORD GAGGLE BY NSC COORDINATOR FOR STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS JOHN KIRBY ON HAMAS TERRORIST ATTACKS IN ISRAEL   Via Teleconference 5:54 P.M. EDT   MR. KIRBY:  Good evening, everybody.  As you know, the White House has been closely following the situation in Israel, and the President has been actively engaged, regularly receiving updates on the latest developments from the national security team.  In fact, this morning, he met with members of the senior team -- including the Secretary of State; National Security Advisor; the Principal Deputy National Security Advisor; the Homeland Security Advisor, Liz Sherwood-Randall; and, of course, the White House Chief of Staff, Jeff Zients -- all to receive the latest update from -- from the morning.     He has also spoken twice with Prime Minister Netanyahu this -- over the weekend, certainly to express our deep sympathy for all those missing, wounded, and killed and to pledge