confederate flag coming down
Confederate Flag Inside Former NC Capitol Building Removed
After the local chapter of the NAACP complained that a Confederate flag was on display inside the former Capitol building in North Carolina, officials have removed it as well as a display regarding the Civil War to find a home at another site.
Although the legislature no longer meets inside that building, the old Capitol site does house the office of the governor. State officials defended displaying the Confederate Flag inside the old Capitol since that building has been decorated to look as it did during the mid 19th century. But critics say that the Confederate flag is also associated with the slavery, lynchings and racism that was a part of that time as well.
State officials had originally intended to display the Confederate flag until 2015 as part of an historical exhibit celebrating the 150th anniversary of America’s Civil War. There is no specific word on where the allegedly offensive flag will be repositioned, but most likely it will be transferred to a local museum or other historic site rather than a building where current official state business takes place.
The Governor’s office was under the impression that the flag was only temporarily on display, but agreed with the decision to remove it.
North Carolina NAACP president Rev. William Barber was shocked Friday when he was shown a photo of the flag by the AP.
“He is right that it has a historical context,” Barber said. “But what is that history? The history of racism. The history of lynchings. The history of death. The history of slavery. If you say that shouldn’t be offensive, then either you don’t know the history, or you are denying the history.”
David Goldfield, a history professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and author of the book “Still Fighting the Civil War,” tells the Huffington Post, the battle flag can hold starkly different meanings depending on a person’s social perspective.
“The history of the Confederate battle flag, how it was designed and formulated, how it has been used through the years, clearly states that it is a flag of white supremacy,” Goldfield said. “I know current Sons of Confederate Veterans would dispute that, saying `Hey, I’m not a racist.’ But the fact remains that the battle flag was used by a country that had as its foundation the protection and extension of human bondage.”
Source:
Confederate flag in North Carolina state building will come down
http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-confederate-flag-at-north-carolina-state-building-will-come-down-20130330,0,2969616.story
Confederate Flag Inside Old North Carolina Capitol Building Sparks Concern
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/29/confederate-flag-north-carolina_n_2979730.html
