Commentsby
Bob Brandon....
Stars & Barred
April
10, 2000
At last, South Carolina's legislature has come out of its coma. They've
voted to remove the Confederate Battle Flag from their Statehouse dome.
But this vote does not bring the flag down yet. Now the bill goes to committee
where it could be amended, and eventually sent to the Governor for his
signature.
There's no doubt he will sign! After being boycotted by the NAACP, South
Carolina has become a pariah to many conventions and sporting events. The
story has been featured, and at times ridiculed, in this column as recenlty
as January, in newspapers and on TV around the world. It's the kind of
publicity this tourist-dependent state simply does not need.
It's true that SC historically ranks near the bottom in academic, social
and health statistics. So it's not surprising that it's taken this long
for change. While there have been many vocal protests in favor of the flag,
there have been many more intelligent displays for its removal.
The latest, a 200-mile march from Charleston to the state capital, led
by Charleston's mayor was undoubtably intrumental in Wednesday's vote in
the state senate. Coincidentally, the lawmakers also passed a bill on the
same day finally approving a holiday for Dr. Martin Luther King. In a compromise,
they also established a Confederate Memorial day.
Remember, South Carolina was the first state to secede from the Union
in the Civil War. There's a very real pride in their place in Southern
history. So it's more than a great day for racial equity and South Carolina
tourism, it's the beginning of a new era in the Old South. |
