The Fund for Southern Communities joins South Carolina
and the nation in celebrating the historical decision to remove the
Confederate Battle Flag and its flagpole from the South Carolina
capitol grounds. We applaud Governor Nikki Haley and the South Carolina
legislators for their courage.
SC is one of the three states in our funding region and
we feel that this is a victory for all. While the flag will no longer
fly on the grounds of the SC State Capitol, we understand that it will
be placed in the state’s Confederate Relic Room of the Military Museum.
Friends, we acknowledge your efforts and we are grateful
for all the time that you have spent over the last two decades working
tirelessly to have the Confederate Battle Flag removed for the grounds
of the South Carolina State Capitol. You have joined boycotts,
signed petitions, made phone calls, attended meetings, written letters,
sent emails; and the list goes on...
Many of you will recall that for years organizations
have opted not to host conferences in SC because of the Confederate
flag and its painful reminder of the past. We realize that many of its
supporters wanted it to remain because of its symbolism of Southern
heritage, but we hope they also realize that this “Southern Heritage”
held in such high esteem by many is a reminder of slavery, hate, death
and inequality among the African-American citizens who live, work and
serve in the state of SC.
SC was amongst the first of the thirteen colonies that
declared independence from the British Crown in the American
Revolution. It was the first state to ratify the Articles of
Confederation and the first state to vote to secede from the
Union. “We hope that SC can be the first of the remaining states
to put in true perspective the negative impact this flag has on the
collective success of its people.”
It is our hope that SC and the nation can now focus on
the healing and positive influence the decision to remove the
confederate flag should make on racial equality and on the realization
that hate is not the answer. We realize that the removal of the
confederate flag could encourage more hate among its supporters; and it
is imperative that we as social justice activists and as individuals
continue to “Take ACTION – Advocate, Communicate, Train, Influence,
Organize and Network” regarding the importance of racial and economic
equality and peace.
It is indeed a new day in SC, a day which we can be
proud but we still have so much more work to do!!! We must
continue to be politically engaged and push forward through voter
education, registration and mobilization efforts in local
communities.
In memory of the nine victims tragically killed at Mother Emanuel
A.M.E. Church, the Fund for Southern Communities commits to encouraging
harmony and healing between all of our brothers and sisters. We will
continue to be steadfast proponents for fair and equal treatment for
everyone.