Latest news with #UnitedDaughtersoftheConfederacy
San Francisco Chronicle
2 days ago
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Confederacy group sues Georgia park for planning an exhibit on slavery and segregation
STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. (AP) — The Georgia chapter of a Confederacy group filed a lawsuit this week against a state park with the largest Confederate monument in the country, arguing officials broke state law by planning an exhibit on ties to slavery, segregation and white supremacy. Stone Mountain's massive carving depicts Confederate President Jefferson Davis, Gen. Robert E. Lee and Thomas 'Stonewall' Jackson on horseback. Critics who have long pushed for changes say the monument enshrines the 'Lost Cause' mythology that romanticizes the Confederate cause as a state's rights struggle, but state law protects the carving from any changes. After police brutality spurred nationwide reckonings on racial inequality and the removal of dozens of Confederate monuments in 2020, the Stone Mountain Memorial Association, which oversees Stone Mountain Park, voted in 2021 to relocate Confederate flags and build a 'truth-telling' exhibit to reflect the site's role in the rebirth of the Klu Klux Klan, along with the carving's segregationist roots. The Georgia Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans also alleges in the lawsuit filed Tuesday that the board's decision to relocate Confederate flags from a walking trail violates Georgia law. 'When they come after the history and attempt to change everything to the present political structure, that's against the law,' said Martin O'Toole, the chapter's spokesperson. Stone Mountain Park markets itself as a family theme park and is a popular hiking spot east of Atlanta. Completed in 1972, the monument on the mountain's northern space is 190 feet (58 meters) across and 90 feet (27 meters) tall. The United Daughters of the Confederacy hired sculptor Gutzon Borglum, who later carved Mount Rushmore, to craft the carving in 1915. That same year, the film 'Birth of a Nation' celebrated the Reconstruction-era Ku Klux Klan, which marked its comeback with a cross burning on top of Stone Mountain on Thanksgiving night in 1915. One of the 10 parts of the planned exhibit would expound on the Ku Klux's Klan reemergence and the movie's influence on the mountain's monument. The Stone Mountain Memorial Association hired Birmingham-based Warner Museums, which specializes in civil rights installations, to design the exhibit in 2022. "The interpretive themes developed for Stone Mountain will explore how the collective memory created by Southerners in response to the real and imagined threats to the very foundation of Southern society, the institution of slavery, by westward expansion, a destructive war, and eventual military defeat, was fertile ground for the development of the Lost Cause movement amidst the social and economic disruptions that followed," the exhibit proposal says. Other parts of the exhibit would address how the United Daughters of the Confederacy and the Sons of Confederate Veterans perpetuated the 'Lost Cause' ideology through support for monuments, education programs and racial segregation laws across the South. It would also tell stories of a small Black community that lived near the mountain after the war. Georgia's General Assembly allocated $11 million in 2023 to pay for the exhibit and renovate the park's Memorial Hall. The exhibit is not open yet. A spokesperson for the park did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The park's board in 2021 also voted to change its logo from an image of the Confederate carveout to a lake inside the park. The exhibit would 'radically revise' the park's setup, 'completely changing the emphasis of the Park and its purpose as defined by the law of the State of Georgia,' the lawsuit says. ___
Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Confederacy group sues Georgia park for planning an exhibit on slavery and segregation
STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. (AP) — The Georgia chapter of a Confederacy group filed a lawsuit this week against a state park with the largest Confederate monument in the country, arguing officials broke state law by planning an exhibit on ties to slavery, segregation and white supremacy. Stone Mountain's massive carving depicts Confederate President Jefferson Davis, Gen. Robert E. Lee and Thomas 'Stonewall' Jackson on horseback. Critics who have long pushed for changes say the monument enshrines the 'Lost Cause' mythology that romanticizes the Confederate cause as a state's rights struggle, but state law protects the carving from any changes. After police brutality spurred nationwide reckonings on racial inequality and the removal of dozens of Confederate monuments in 2020, the Stone Mountain Memorial Association, which oversees Stone Mountain Park, voted in 2021 to relocate Confederate flags and build a 'truth-telling' exhibit to reflect the site's role in the rebirth of the Klu Klux Klan, along with the carving's segregationist roots. The Georgia Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans also alleges in the lawsuit filed Tuesday that the board's decision to relocate Confederate flags from a walking trail violates Georgia law. 'When they come after the history and attempt to change everything to the present political structure, that's against the law,' said Martin O'Toole, the chapter's spokesperson. Stone Mountain Park markets itself as a family theme park and is a popular hiking spot east of Atlanta. Completed in 1972, the monument on the mountain's northern space is 190 feet (58 meters) across and 90 feet (27 meters) tall. The United Daughters of the Confederacy hired sculptor Gutzon Borglum, who later carved Mount Rushmore, to craft the carving in 1915. That same year, the film 'Birth of a Nation' celebrated the Reconstruction-era Ku Klux Klan, which marked its comeback with a cross burning on top of Stone Mountain on Thanksgiving night in 1915. One of the 10 parts of the planned exhibit would expound on the Ku Klux's Klan reemergence and the movie's influence on the mountain's monument. The Stone Mountain Memorial Association hired Birmingham-based Warner Museums, which specializes in civil rights installations, to design the exhibit in 2022. 'The interpretive themes developed for Stone Mountain will explore how the collective memory created by Southerners in response to the real and imagined threats to the very foundation of Southern society, the institution of slavery, by westward expansion, a destructive war, and eventual military defeat, was fertile ground for the development of the Lost Cause movement amidst the social and economic disruptions that followed,' the exhibit proposal says. Other parts of the exhibit would address how the United Daughters of the Confederacy and the Sons of Confederate Veterans perpetuated the 'Lost Cause' ideology through support for monuments, education programs and racial segregation laws across the South. It would also tell stories of a small Black community that lived near the mountain after the war. Georgia's General Assembly allocated $11 million in 2023 to pay for the exhibit and renovate the park's Memorial Hall. The exhibit is not open yet. A spokesperson for the park did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The park's board in 2021 also voted to change its logo from an image of the Confederate carveout to a lake inside the park. Sons of the Confederate Veterans members have defended the carvings as honoring Confederate soldiers. The exhibit would 'radically revise' the park's setup, 'completely changing the emphasis of the Park and its purpose as defined by the law of the State of Georgia,' the lawsuit says. ___ Kramon is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Kramon on X: @charlottekramon.
31-05-2025
- General
Virginia capital likely has 742 unmarked graves, some of Confederate soldiers, study finds
RICHMOND, Va. -- An acre of land owned by the city of Richmond contains potentially hundreds of unmarked graves, some of which could belong to Confederate soldiers who died in the Civil War, according to a study released Friday. The city commissioned the land survey after drawing scrutiny for spending $16,000 to upgrade an area around a grave marker on the property that pays tribute to Confederate soldiers, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported. The stone marker was placed there in 1939 by the United Daughters of the Confederacy. It honors more than 100 Confederate soldiers from South Carolina who died in a wartime hospital across the street. The Richmond Free Press, a newspaper with a large Black readership, first reported on the upgrades, which had included fencing, landscaping and a new bench. The newspaper raised questions about city expenditures on the project in the wake of removing various other Confederate monuments in recent years. Richmond was the capital of the Confederacy. The city noted the scrutiny in the study, which sought to verify that the land had been used as a cemetery for Confederate soldiers. Using ground penetrating radar and other research methods, the study found that there are more than 472 probable graves and 270 possible graves there, if not more. The land was originally in the former Richmond suburb of Manchester, which was later encompassed by the city. Manchester bought the land in 1857, possibly for a cemetery, four years before the Civil War started in 1861. The study included a review of old municipal, hospital and burial records. Newspaper articles from the late 19th century and early 20th century reference people who died in the Civil War being buried there. Maps also show a cemetery existing in that spot in 1876, after the Civil War. The study found 'a circumstantial case that the property was used for wartime burials," while the research also 'indicates that soldiers from states other than South Carolina may have also been buried here.' The city bought the property in 1930. It now serves as a natural gas booster and storage facility. In its statement Friday, the city said it has consulted with historians and other officials to develop an access plan for the site. It would allow visitation to descendants of those believed to have been interred there and to others interested in genealogical research.
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Virginia moves to strip tax breaks for Confederate groups
The headquarters of the United Daughters of the Confederacy on Arthur Ashe Boulevard in Richmond. The organization owns more than a dozen Confederate statues in Virginia. (Scott Elmquist/ Style Weekly) Virginia took another decisive step in its ongoing reckoning with its Confederate past as the House of Delegates in a bipartisan move approved legislation to strip tax-exempt status from organizations tied to the Confederacy. House Bill 1699, which passed by a 53-42 vote on Friday, targets groups like the Virginia Division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC), ending their property and recordation tax privileges. For Del. Alex Askew, D-Virginia Beach, the bill's sponsor, the measure is about fairness and priorities in a state still grappling with how to honor its history without glorifying a legacy rooted in oppression. 'A tax exemption is a privilege and not a right,' Askew said during a news conference at the state Capitol in Richmond last week, emphasizing that the legislation isn't about erasing history but addressing fiscal responsibility and equity. The bill specifically targets several groups, including the UDC, the Confederate Memorial Literary Society, and the Stonewall Jackson Memorial, Inc. If passed by the Senate and signed into law, these organizations would be required to pay taxes on their properties, aligning with Democrats' broader efforts to reassess Virginia's support of Confederate symbols and institutions. 'According to the administration and the Department of Taxation, my bill would have a positive effect on state and local revenues,' Askew said. 'And I'll say it again: This legislation does not challenge Confederate organizations' right to exist. It is not about free speech, it's not about taking down any monuments. But it's about fairness and financial and fiscal priorities of Virginia.' Askew's bill represents a renewed effort after an identical proposal was vetoed last year by Gov. Glenn Youngkin. The earlier measure, sponsored by Sen. Angelia Williams Graves, D-Norfolk, had successfully passed both chambers of the General Assembly in 2024 before being blocked by the governor. Youngkin justified the move by arguing the legislation unfairly singled out specific groups and set a dangerous precedent. In his veto statement, he called the current property tax exemption system inconsistent and outdated, noting that some organizations with exemptions, like the UDC and the Ocean View Democratic and Social Club, have affiliations or names that are politically or socially contentious. 'Narrowly targeting specific organizations to gain or lose such tax exemptions sets an inappropriate precedent,' Youngkin said. He argued for broader reform that would give local governments greater autonomy to determine tax exemptions based on their specific tax base and needs. The governor also criticized the shift in the legislative process that now allows a simple majority to revoke exemptions, saying it undermines fairness in the tax system. Askew, however, said during the news conference that groups like the UDC should be treated differently because they perpetuate the 'lost cause' narrative, which he argued romanticizes the Confederacy and obscures the true cause of the Civil War. 'Let's be very clear about what we're dealing with. Organizations like the United Daughters of the Confederacy have promoted the lost cause,' Askew said. 'Why is the commonwealth supporting groups that rewrite history to obscure the true cause of the Civil War? A war fought to uphold the institution of slavery, America's original sin?' The debate over Confederate memory has divided Virginia politics for decades, and this year is no different. While Democrats champion legislation to curtail state support for Confederate-linked groups, Republicans have introduced bills to bolster protections for Confederate monuments. HB 1884, introduced this year by Del. Wren Williams, R-Patrick, aims to restrict local governments' ability to remove or alter war memorials, including those commemorating Confederate figures. Williams framed his proposal as a response to what he described as selective erasure of history. In an interview last week, he said his concern extended beyond the removal of statues to efforts to 're-contextualize everything' and exclude certain parts of the past. 'There seems to be a revenge-type of mentality,' Williams said. 'The word 'vindictive' comes to mind because this is still history, but we're picking which history we want to remember.' He argued that preserving all aspects of history, even the difficult ones, is essential, adding, 'I think that we need to remember all history, and so this ties into that.' While Williams views the preservation of monuments and historical context as a necessary acknowledgment of all aspects of history, Askew sees such efforts as perpetuating a false narrative that continues to glorify a cause rooted in oppression. 'It breaks my heart that in this year, 2025, we're still having the same debate,' Askew said at the news conference. 'House Republicans introduced a bill to protect Confederate monuments when in fact there are commemorations of Confederate history everywhere we look. You encounter it right here in our capitol, you see it visiting the historical sites across the commonwealth, including buildings that were once used in universities as Confederate hospitals.' Founded in 1894 to assist Civil War veterans and their families, the UDC, a national service organization with 12,000 members, including 1,700 in Virginia, is headquartered in Richmond. The group operates from a historic building visited by about 500 people annually and employs four staff members living in the Richmond area. Though the UDC describes itself as a historical and educational organization, it has faced widespread criticism for its role in constructing Confederate monuments throughout the South and promoting a revisionist narrative of the Civil War, which it refers to as 'The War Between the States.' According to its 2022 tax filings, the UDC reported $10.4 million in net assets and an annual income of $157,988, with the Virginia branch alone holding $2.1 million in assets and generating $147,897 in income. After Askew's bill cleared the House Finance Committee on Monday in a 12-10 party-line vote, passing without discussion or opposition, UDC President Julie Hardaway, who resides in South Carolina, reached out to The Mercury by email the next day, claiming that she had attempted to voice her opposition to the bill virtually but was 'denied that opportunity.' Committee Chair Vivian Watts, D-Fairfax, refuted the claim, stating, 'It was on the public docket, posted more than 24 hours in advance, and when the bill came up, I asked for comment, paused, looked around, no one was there to testify. And I did not receive any information that anyone had registered for virtual comment.' In a statement on the UDC's website, Hardaway condemned Askew's proposal as discriminatory and unconstitutional. She argued the bill unfairly targets Confederate organizations, stripping their tax-exempt status while other groups remain protected under Article X, Section 6 of the Virginia Constitution, which grants exemptions for property used for historical and cultural purposes. 'This is viewpoint discrimination,' Hardaway said, pointing out that the UDC's tax-exempt status, granted in 1950 for property deeded to it by the state, aligns with these constitutional protections. She warned that passing the bill could set a precedent for other historical organizations to lose their exemptions and open the door to legal challenges. 'For these reasons, the UDC strongly opposes Virginia House Bill 1699 and believes that Confederate organizations have been targeted with a bill aimed at organizations the party in power deems unworthy,' Hardaway said. But Sen. Lamont Bagby, D-Henrico, chairman of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, signaled that Democrats are preparing a slate of new legislative efforts aimed at addressing the legacy of Confederate-affiliated organizations like the UDC. 'We have a number of pieces of legislation, as well as packages that we are planning to roll out in the coming days and weeks as we are here to make sure that the voices of Virginians are heard, particularly Black Virginians,' Bagby said, adding that the proposals will focus on issues of equity and history. He emphasized the importance of learning from the past rather than erasing it. 'When we turn the page, we don't want to tear those pages and forget about it. We want to move on, but we also want to be able to reflect and understand the past,' he said. House Speaker Don Scott, D-Portsmouth, suggested that the organizations targeted by Askew's proposal are just the tip of the iceberg in a much broader effort. Scott noted during last week's news conference that while groups like the UDC are prominent and well-known, lawmakers are committed to identifying others that may be operating under less visible names or structures. 'There are so many of these organizations in Virginia. This is the former capital of the Confederacy,' Scott said. 'We have more monuments and roads named after the Confederacy than any other state in the union.' He likened the effort to 'catching racquetballs,' acknowledging the challenge of identifying every group tied to the Confederate legacy. Scott encouraged Virginians to assist in uncovering lesser-known organizations that may be hiding under different names or tax-exempt entities. 'We've got the ones we can catch, but if you got some that you wanna add to the list, feel free to send them to [Askew]. We will find them,' he said. He also accused some groups of deliberately obscuring their ties to Confederate history. 'They have done a very good job of camouflaging the whole idea around the War Between the States,' Scott said. 'If you have someone that they've hidden away under some different names or some different way, let us know, because we want all of them.' Askew remains steadfast in his push to strip tax exemptions from Confederate-affiliated organizations, even as he acknowledges the steep challenges ahead. He said he was surprised when Youngkin vetoed Williams Graves' similar proposal last year and expressed little hope that the governor would support his version this time around. 'I don't expect the governor to change his mind or pass this bill this year,' Askew said. 'But I do promise you that when his term ends, we'll bring this bill back. We'll work with the next administration to assure our history is told truthfully, not rewritten to serve the interests of those who seek to glorify the Confederates.' Askew emphasized the importance of holding lawmakers accountable on this issue, framing it as a moral test for Virginia's leadership. He called on those running for statewide office to take a clear stance on whether they support or oppose such measures. 'Virginia deserves to know where their leaders stand. Those running for statewide office here this year must make their resistance clear. No ambiguity, no dodging these questions,' he said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
26-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
History shows Bishop Budde did nothing wrong at Trump's inaugural prayer service
The National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. is no stranger to the spotlight or to bold statements. Suddenly it's also no stranger to controversy. It has hosted state funerals for Sen. John McCain and presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush. It has hosted numerous national prayer services for the inaugural celebrations of many presidents, including Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1937 and George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump twice. In 1968, it was where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his last sermon before going to Memphis. 'Human progress comes through the tireless efforts of dedicated individuals who are willing to be co-workers with God,' he said then. In 2017, church leaders removed the ornate building's memorial windows to Confederate Gens. Robert E. Lee and Thomas 'Stonewall' Jackson that had been donated by the United Daughters of the Confederacy 64 years earlier. In 2018, it interred the ashes of Matthew Shepard in the Cathedral crypt, 20 years after his murder in an anti-gay hate crime. Last year church leaders ended a practice of planning inaugural prayer services with the Presidential Inaugural Committee, which let incoming presidents pick participants. The New York Times called it 'a move toward religious independence, so the service itself would be free of partisan interference and so it would not be seen as a coronation or sacred anointing.' All of this left Bishop Mariann Budde wondering what message to send at Trump's inaugural prayer services on Tuesday. She had not drawn attention to herself when speaking at the event in 2017. But plenty of others had sent pointed messages to presidents at earlier prayer services. Rev. Jesse Jackson got political when addressing President Bill Clinton during his inaugural prayer services in 1997, calling attention to gun violence inside the Metropolitan AME Church just days after Bill Cosby's 27-year-old only son had been shot and killed in Los Angeles. 'Every parent harbors a secret terror, the infant that we nurture, the child we raise, the young men and women we launch into the earth, is ever at risk in this often too violent world,' he said. 'Dr. King, another Morehouse man, reminded us that none of us are safe until all of us are safe. Easter reminds us you need not be guilty to face execution. Yes, even the innocent die until we root out the culture of violence. It is not ours to understand but to keep the faith, humbled by the great blessings we have been granted, confident that even in the darkest night dawn cometh in the morning.' Pastor Jack Hayford expressed his own wishes for new President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney – and all of us — in 2001: 'Grant them patience, understanding and love as they care for your people. And grant us an equal fidelity and integrity that each of us offer ourselves and our talents and gifts for the good of our land and for all peoples and nations.' Pastor Sharon E. Watkins offered Obama guidance in 2009: 'We the nation that you serve need you to hold the ground of your deepest values, of our deepest values. Beyond this moment of high hopes, we need you to stay focused on our shared hopes so that we can continue to hope, too.… Someone has to stand watch and be ready to defend, and Mr. President, tag, you're it.' Bishop Harry Jackson addressed Trump in 2017, saying, 'Almighty and everliving God, ruler of all things in Heaven and Earth, grant to the president, vice president and members of the cabinet wisdom and grace in the exercise of their duties, that they may serve all people of this nation and promote the dignity and freedom of every person. Keep this nation under your care.' And in 2021, Bishop William J. Barber II spoke of unity before President Joe Biden: 'So gracious and great God, grant us as a people; grant us as an entire nation, grant our new president; grant our new vice president; grant every preacher; grant every politician; grant every person, Black and white, Latino, Native, Asian, Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Hindu, person of faith, people not of faith but with a moral conscience, every human being created by God, documented or undocumented; gay, straight or trans, young or old. And what a day it will be when our children's children call us what you have called us to be: repairers of the breach.' So it was that Budde spoke directly to Trump on Tuesday. 'Let me make one final plea, Mr. President,' she said. 'Millions have put their trust in you, and, as you told the nation yesterday, you have felt the providential hand of a loving God. In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now. There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican and independent families, some who fear for their lives. And the people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings; who labor in poultry farms and meat packing plants; who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants and work the night shifts in hospitals, they may not be citizens or have the proper documentation, but the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. They pay taxes and are good neighbors. They are faithful members of our churches and mosques, synagogues, gurdwaras and temples. I ask you to have mercy, Mr. President, on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away. And that you help those who are fleeing war zones and persecution in their own lands to find compassion and welcome here. 'Our God teaches us that we are to be merciful to the stranger, for we were all once strangers in this land. May God grant us the strength and courage to honor the dignity of every human being, to speak the truth to one another in love and walk humbly with each other and our God for the good of all people, good of all people in this nation and the world.' Trump's response was far less eloquent. Responding to a reporter's question about his thoughts on the service, he said, 'I didn't think it was a good service' and 'they could do much better.' Then, at 12:39 a.m. Wednesday — yes, after midnight — he elaborated on his Truth Social account: 'The so-called Bishop who spoke at the National Prayer Service on Tuesday morning was a Radical Left hard line Trump hater. She brought her church into the World of politics in a very ungracious way. She was nasty in tone, and not compelling or smart. She failed to mention the large number of illegal migrants that came into our Country and killed people. Many were deposited from jails and mental institutions. It is a giant crime wave that is taking place in the USA. Apart from her inappropriate statements, the service was a very boring and uninspiring one. She is not very good at her job! She and her church owe the public an apology!' In case there is any doubt, no president has viciously attacked someone who prayed for him at his inaugural prayer service, someone whose perceived slight consisted of her asking him for mercy and who was basically doing what many religious leaders have asked of many presidents. 'The person giving this sermon should be added to the deportation list,' tweeted U.S. Rep Mike Collins, R-Georgia. Prominent Dallas pastor Robert Jeffress, who was at the cathedral for the service, tweeted, 'Mariann Edgar Budde insulted rather than encouraged our great president @realDonaldTrump. There was palpable disgust in the audience with her words.' Is this where we are in America? Is this who we are in America? Are we OK with being cruel about … kindness? A lot happened in President Donald Trump's first week. More will happen in the weeks to come. But this vitriol cannot be tolerated. Budde did nothing wrong, as history clearly shows. Have mercy on her, Mr. President. There are ways to disagree about politics without insulting a preacher's God-given right to free speech. What happened to us being co-workers?
