The governor of South Carolina, Nikki Haley, has calledon state lawmakers to remove the Confederate battleflag from the state capitol. She says the flag is animportant part of the state’s history, but it is not asymbol of the state’s future.
“We are here in a moment of unity in our state, withoutill will, to say it’s time to move the flag from the Capitolgrounds.”
The debate about the flag has grown stronger since adeadly shooting on June 17. Nine members of anAfrican-American church in Charleston, South Carolinawere shot and killed. The suspected killer is a 21-year-old white man.
Dylann Roof reportedly accepted the flag as a symbol of white supremacy -- the belief that white people are better than all others, especially black people.Photographs of Mr. Roof show him waving a Confederate battle flag andburning a U.S. flag.
A powerful symbol
The Confederate battle flag was one of the symbols of the Confederate Statesof America, or the Confederacy. The Confederacy was a group of Southern,slave-holding states that left the U.S. in 1861. The Confederacy lost the warfor independence and re-joined the U.S. four years later.
In 1961, South Carolina raised the Confederate battle flag over the StateHouse to recognize the 100-year anniversary of the beginning of the CivilWar. After protest from civil rights activists in 2000, the flag was moved to amonument for Confederate soldiers on the State House lawn.
Some states, including Virginia, offer automobile license plates with images of the battle flag. But this month the United States Supreme Court announcedthat states are permitted to limit license plate designs. Virginia GovernorTerry McAuliffe says he is taking measures to remove the battle flag imagefrom license plates made by the state.
In the southern state of Mississippi, the official state flag includes parts of theConfederate battle flag. In 2001, Mississippi residents voted to keep theConfederate symbol in their flag. But this week one of the top lawmakers hasjoined other protestors in calling for changes to the state flag.
Divided views
To some, the Confederate battle flag represents an honorable part of Southernhistory. South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley noted that many people in thestate link the flag to traditions of history, heritage and ancestry.
To others, the Confederate battle flag represents slavery and a long history ofracism. Even after the Civil War effectively ended slavery, many U.S. policiespermitted the South to continue to separate white and black people. Images of the Confederate battle flag became popular in the mid-20th century tochallenge efforts to improve civil rights laws for African-Americans.
Mitch McConnell is the Senate majority leaders. He says the battle flag is “apainful reminder of racial oppression.”
Former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney called the flag a “symbol of racial hatred.” His statement put pressure on Republicanpresidential candidates to discuss the subject of race in their campaigns.
President Barack Obama has said the Confederate battle flag belongs in amuseum. But he says states have the right to decide how to deal with theissue.
No matter what state lawmakers decide, Americans will still be free to displaythe flag on their private property.
I’m Kelly Jean Kelly.
Zlatica Hoke and other VOA reporters contributed to this report. Kelly JeanKelly wrote it for VOA Learning English. Christopher Jones-Cruise was theeditor.
