David Ibragimov
On October 22, 2022, a Confederate flag was raised over the I-85 highway in Spartanburg county. The flag, being a 30×50-foot flag and the largest Confederate flag in the state of South Carolina, was seen throughout the whole highway, being lifted above the treeline and grabbing attention with its bright red coloring, and going through a highway that sees more than 84,000 passing cars every single day.
This phenomenon has created strained tensions among Spartanburg residents and throughout South Carolina on the topics of the Confederate Flag and the flag’s representation of racism or southern pride.
Some people see this flag and its symbol as an indirect sign of white supremacy and racism towards the black community, and this sentiment was voiced by the President of NAACP of West Spartanburg, Reverend Eddie Parks. “For many groups, especially African-Americans, the Confederate flag symbolizes hate, racism, exclusion, oppression, and violence”, Mr.Parks posted on Facebook in response to the flag. “Its symbolism and history are directly linked to millions of African Americans’ enslavement, torture, and death.”
Other residents of Spartanburg have also come forward in disapproval of the flag, stating that it makes the community look bad and does not represent the welcoming and hospitable community of Spartanburg. A councilman of Spartanburg, Monier Abusaft, has also emphasized the concerns about Spartanburg’s economic future if the flag was kept. “We would never discriminate against a symbol based on its content, but I just don’t understand people who want to have a community with a $1.7 billion investment from an international car-making giant (BMW) but then go out of their way to make people feel unwelcome”. Stated Mr. Abusaft, further elaborating that “Nobody moves their corporate headquarters to Hicksville. It is Spartanburg County Council’s job to create the economic environment where the county thrives”.
The organization which placed the flag is called The Adam Washington Ballenger Camp 68 of the Sons Of Confederate Veterans. The group, with public statements and through information available on their website, states that their purpose is to honor the history and the character of this state, primarily the history of the civil war. “Many of our activities focus on preservation work, marking Confederate soldier’s graves, historical re-enactments, and scholarly publications and we hold regular meetings to discuss the military and political history of the War Between the States”, states the home page of this group. “The citizen-soldiers who fought for the Confederacy personified the best qualities of America. The tenacity with which Confederate soldiers fought demonstrated their belief in the rights guaranteed by the Constitution. Today, the SCV is preserving the history and legacy of these heroes so that future generations can understand their motives and character”. Unlike Mr. Parks and Mr. Abusaft, Sons of Confederate Veterans see the lifting of the flag as a sign of pride in the state, the character of the south, and embracing our history and identity.
Even with the arguments brought up by the 68’s, Spartanburg county has ordered them to remove the flag because of the counties Land Use Ordinance of 1999, which states that “flags and flagpoles are considered an accessory activity and can only be located on a parcel which has a principal activity, such as a residence or business”. It is important to note however, that the reason for the removal is not for the content of the flag itself, but rather because it was installed on a land that isn’t residential or business operated. “Because this property does not have a residence, business or other principal activity, the owner has violated our ordinance. The owner was notified of this violation last week and has 20 days to either remove the flagpole or obtain a permit for a principal use of the property”, stated county spokewoman Scottie Kay Blackwell. As of the time of writing this article, the confederate flag was taken down and replaced with the flag of South Carolina, but the event once again reminds us of the topic of the “Stars and Bars” flag, what it stands for, and what is its place in our state.
If the someone wants to honor confederate veterans maybe the should use the flag the confederacy actually adopted.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/flag-of-the-Confederate-States-of-America
On May 1, 1863, the Confederacy adopted its first official national flag, often called the Stainless Banner. That design integrated the Battle Flag as a canton on a field of white. Over time, however, the design drew criticism because the display of a broad field of white could be misinterpreted as a declaration of surrender.
http://www.britannica.com/topic/flag-of-the-Confederate-States-of-America