Confederate Flag Removed from South Carolina Statehouse

“If the flag is removed and the sanctions are lifted, then we can bid for events, whether it’s a women’s regional championship or basketball for the men, the first or second rounds, and other events around the state“.

A powerful symbol … but of what? Flag opponents point out the flag remained on the Capitol grounds long after the anniversary of the war. But it was kept there as a protest against the Civil Rights movement.

Jonathan Blanks is with the CATO Institute. “It symbolizes that the world is taking a different turn and that it’s not all about hating one another but how we can come together as a community”, said Eric Favor of Marion, South Carolina.

The flag came down about three weeks after the fatal shooting of nine black worshippers by a white gunman during a Bible study session at a black church in Charleston. Bree spoke about her feat, saying, “I removed the flag not only in defiance of those who enslaved my ancestors in the southern United States, but also in defiance of the oppression that continues against black people globally in 2015”.

Haley signed the bill Thursday calling for the flag’s removal from the Statehouse grounds.

Earlier, she called it a great day for the state in an interview with NBC’s “Today” television show. The collegiate sports association issued a statement on Friday, noting that the national association has not played championships in states that fly the Confederate flag prominently since 2001. The auto is called the General Lee, after a Southern commander in the Civil War.

President Barack Obama, who spoke at the eulogy of one of the victims, hailed the removal of the flag as “a signal of goodwill and healing, and a meaningful step towards a better future”.

The Confederate flag’s days as a public symbol – a flag or a state emblem – are coming to an end with the passage of Thursday’s law, said Carole Emberton, Civil War expert at the University at Buffalo. For them, the flag represents state history and their family heritage.

On Friday morning, a racially diverse crowd of hundreds gathered on the Capitol grounds. The large crowd cheered and chanted “Hey, hey, hey, good bye” after it was removed.

In a short ceremony, members of an official honor guard lowered the flag and rolled it tightly.

Roberson said the flag won’t be displayed at the museum right away.

“They brought it to the Capitol dome, [from] in the House and Senate chambers and put it on the pole right in front of our face”, said Howell, President of the NAACP Aiken Branch.

And the Dukes of Hazzard auto? The shooter, Dylann Roof, had taken several pictures holding the confederate flag.