The connection of the Confederate Battle Flag with the murders of nine church members in South Carolina has prompted the National Park Service to end sales of the flag in gift shops and bookstores located inside parks.
“We strive to tell the complete story of America,” Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis said of the agency’s reputation for telling difficult parts of our history. “All sales items in parks are evaluated based on educational value and their connection to the park. Any stand-alone depictions of Confederate flags have no place in park stores.”
In a news release the director said the murders of nine church members at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, which is near Fort Sumter National Monument, galvanized a national discussion that includes symbols and relics from our nation’s past such as the Confederate Battle Flag. A manifesto linked to the suspect in the case included photos of himself with versions of the Confederate flag.
“As that discussion spread across the country,” Director Jarvis said, “one of our largest cooperating associations, Eastern National, began to voluntarily remove from the park stores that it manages any items that depict a Confederate flag as its primary feature. I’ve asked other cooperating associations, partners and concession providers to withdraw from sale items that solely depict a Confederate flag.”
In the telling of the historical story, Confederate flags have a place in books, exhibits, reenactments, and interpretive programs, the Park Service said. Books, DVDs, and other educational and interpretive media where the Confederate flag image is depicted in its historical context may remain as sales items as long as the image cannot be physically detached. Confederate flags include the Stainless Banner, the Third National Confederate Flag, and the Confederate Battle Flag.
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Comments
Surprised to learn that the National Park Service was even selling Confederate flags. Guess we haven't been to a national park in the south in a while, although we've visited Civil War sites in the north like Gettysburg.
I have little interest in the confederate flag other than it's place in history but find this decision along with that of walmart, amazon etc. an overreaction and just one more example of political correctness hysteria that has become so common today.
Amen.
It is amazing that the actions of some wacko can totally redefine a banner that has been deemed acceptable for so long.
Confederate flags have long been associated with the NPS interpretive programming at Civil War sites and the living history programming as well as the commercialism that frequently surrounds most Civil War communities. This liberal media/activist agenda to steer social issues is detrimental. Like another comment here I have little interest in confederate flags or 150 year old propaganda, but everyone has their 1st amendment. There is a role in living history and historical context. A CNN person mentioned removing memorials with slave or confederate connections? Hmm. Name a nation that doesn't have a stain on its history somewhere. Judging these stains by modern standards is problematic. Reconstruction and Civil Rights movements took and continue to take place in this nation (little thanks to Democrats 50+ years ago who fought it). There are many ongoing living atrocities taking place around the world right now, but the liberal media conducts the cricket orchestra on topics such as treatment of faith,minorities, women, and children around the world. They stir up a controversy about a 150 year old flag that lost a war. How about faith, family values, family structure, dealing with children who have mental issues rather than mainstreaming everything. Political correctness will blind some until the country is destroyed.
Thanks to the new activist SCOTUS, we can now replace all those confederate flags with rainbow flags.
Not at all a surprise to see the far right wing falling all over itself to justify emblems of both racism and at the same time fitting in a bit of homophobia.
Was it racism when Hilary put the Stars and Bars on her campaign buttons? Was it racist for Obama to put it on his? Was it racist for the NPS to sell the flag in the past. Is the SC legislature racists for flying the flag? Was anyone watching Dukes of Hazard a racist because the Stars and Bars were on the car General Lee? The fact that some who are racist have adopted the flag as their symbol doesn't make anyone who flies the flag a racists. And trying to get rid of the flag is hardly going to end what racism exists.
According to Rick, the NPS supported racism until yesterday.