Gov. Bob McDonnell Lobbied by Sons of Confederate Veterans to Honor Confederacy in April

Sons of Confederate Veterans lobbied Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell to declare April Confederate History Month.

 

Black Slaves Working For Confederacy, TN, 1860s. Getty Images

Well, what do you know, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell got some help in his decision to declare April Confederate History Month. He was convinced by the Sons of the Confederate Veterans, a group that has long been tied to segregation and white supremacy. The voters of Virginia should run like Usain Bolt to the polls when this so-called governor of the people comes up for reelection. The Southern Poverty Law Center states,

Although the 31,400-member SCV has always billed itself as a “non-political” and “non-racial” heritage organization devoted merely to preserving the legacy of Confederate soldiers, SCV leaders have long been tied to segregation and white supremacy.

In what may be the clearest sign yet of this extremist drift, an analysis by the Intelligence Report finds that a significant number of SCV officials — including at least 10 men who hold key national leadership positions — are also active or recent members of hate groups, principally two neo-Confederate groups, the Council of Conservative Citizens (CCC) and the League of the South.

 Confederate $100 note, with slaves working in field (Wikimedia)

The  group's January 23, 2010 blog posting citing an article written by Robert Slimp [Southern Mercury, Vol. 6 No. 3, May/June 2008, pages 28-33] warned of racial riots if Obama were elected.

It is very clear to me that if Barack Obama should be elected President, he would be extremely anti-white and would demand reparations for slavery and press hard for affirmative action to the degree that it would hurt young whites who were seeking jobs or admission to College and Graduate Schools. …I believe that his rhetoric and anti-white legislative proposals would stir up racial riots. If he were running for re-election, these riots would turn into an extremely violent nature that would seriously damage race relations in America, and leave entire sections of some of our cities in ruins. 

Some people may say that the Confederacy wasn't only about slaves, but the reality is that it was a big part. The Confederacy meant nothing good for blacks, who were denigrated and treated like second-class citizens. So, excuse me if I have a big problem with any state embracing the Confederacy while ignoring the fact that our ancestors were enslaved and treated like garbage.