Summary: After the race-fueled killing of nine black church members in South Carolina, the display of Confederate flags has come into question.
Alabama has removed four Confederate flags that were hanging at a memorial after the recent killing of nine African Americans at a South Carolina church. The four flags were the battle flag, the First National Confederate Flag or “Stars and Bars”, the Second Confederate Flag, and the Third Confederate Flag. Governor Robert Bentley called for the removal so that there would be no distractions from current issues like state budgets.
The five workers removed the flags unceremoniously while a number of photographers snapped away. They worked quickly and without comment to make the event as insignificant as possible. The flags had been moved in 1994 to the Alabama Confederate Memorial after the then Governor Jim Folsom Jr had them removed from the state Capitol.
The monument stands at 88 feet tall and serves to preserve the history of the 122,000 Confederate veterans of the Civil War. The cornerstone was placed in 1886 by the former Confederate president Jefferson Davis in front of 5,000 people.
Although the flags were hung as a symbol of history and not actual political ideology, Alabama is hoping to show that they have moved forward to be a united Alabama. There are some that believe the actions of removing the flags were unnecessary and that the focus should be on the memorials of those killed at the church.
Since the white shooter, who had posed and worn symbols of white supremacy like the Confederate battle flag online, killed nine African American members of the Emanuel AME congregation, displays of Confederate flags have become the topic of discussion and removal. Other Southern states have called for the removal of any of Confederate flags in public places. There are still flags in the Old House and Senate Chamber that Alabama Rep. Alvin Holmes is hoping to address this summer.
Photo: latinpost.com