On Monday the State of Alabama will celebrate Confederate Memorial Day. It's a time when many will honor southern soldiers who fought
in the civil war. But not everyone is happy about the holiday. There's a new controversy over the Confederate flag and it's causing some tension at an Auburn cemetery. One side sees them as a symbol of history, while some others see it as a symbol of racism. Thursday morning, a group known as the Daughters of the Confederacy placed dozens of confederate flags on graves at the Pine Hill Cemetery. it's in Auburn on city property. City Councilman Arthur Dowdell says the flags are offensive and have no place in a cemetery. “I think we have to wake up and see that we're one nation under God with one flag and that's the United States of America flag” Dowdell said. Several black residents told him the flags were there and that it bothered them, so Dowdell immediately removed four of the flags. Beverly Webster is a member of the Daughters of the Confederacy. She says this is all about history. “I all I am thinking about this is that I'm honoring
my fore fathers who fought for our country and that's what this is about. This is not a racist issue for us” Webster said. But Councilman Arthur Dowdell disagrees. “I believe that when Blacks come to this cemetery and see confederate flags, they don't think about commemoration. They think about racism and the the KKK” Dowdell said. He wants the city to pass a resolution in the future that would prevent people from putting up confederate flags in public places in Auburn. Dowdell says if people want to commemorate history, they should do it on their own private property.
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Confederate Flag Controversy At An Auburn Cemetery
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WRBL
Published: April 24, 2009
Published: April 24, 2009
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