National

Confederate Heritage Group Loses its US Southern Influence

Published

11 years ago

June 26, 2015

Protesters hold a sign during a rally to take down the Confederate flag at the South Carolina Statehouse, Tuesday, June 23, 2015, in Columbia, S.C. For years, South Carolina lawmakers refused to revisit the Confederate flag on Statehouse grounds, saying the law that took it off the dome was a bipartisan compromise, and renewing the debate would unnecessarily expose divisive wounds. (AP Photo/Rainier Ehrhardt)

JEFFREY COLLINS, Associated Press

COLUMBIA, South Carolina (AP) — The Sons of Confederate Veterans knew an attack on their cherished symbols would come after seeing photos of the white man accused of killing nine black churchgoers displaying rebel Confederate battle flags. They just didn’t expect it from conservative Republicans.

Last week’s shootings at a historic African-American church in Charleston were so heinous that Confederate symbols suddenly became a drag on the aspirations of a Republican party hoping to regain the presidency in 2016. Shocking photographs of the suspect displaying Confederate battle flags made it easy for Republicans to break away.

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley spent an intense weekend consulting with party leaders before urging her state’s lawmakers to remove the rebel banner from the Statehouse grounds. Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley then acted by executive order, taking down Civil-War era flags outside the Montgomery capitol, where the pro-slavery Confederacy was born when 11 states seceded in 1861.

Leland Summers, the group’s leader in South Carolina, said he now feels betrayed by the same Republicans who courted the organization’s loyalties for decades to win the conservative white votes that relegated Democrats to a permanent minority party across the South.

“We knew it was coming,” Summers said Thursday, but these moves by conservative governors came as complete surprise.

The Sons of Confederate Veterans were founded in 1896 as a way to honor ancestors who fought for the rebel South, placing historically accurate Confederate flags on Southern soldiers’ graves and re-enacting Civil War battles.

By the 1950s and 60s, the symbols took on new meanings, as segregationist politicians hoisted flags to protest federal efforts to establish equal rights for all races. A generation later, as civil rights activists demanded that the flags come down, Summers and others insisted that these symbols are about heritage, not racism. And Republicans went along.

In an instant, the images of Dylann Storm Roof posing with rebel battle flags changed this dynamic, said Chip Lake, a Republican strategist in Georgia.

“It’s not fair to brand all persons who support flying the Confederate flag as racist. But it’s fair to say that they’ve lost the branding war on whatever statement they want to make, whether it’s ‘heritage’ or ‘history’ or something more cynical,” Lake said.

Just how much influence the Sons of Confederate Veterans and similar organizations still have may become apparent in Mississippi’s elections this year.

Several powerful Mississippi Republicans called for the Confederate symbol to be removed from the state’s flag, even though voters overwhelmingly endorsed the current design in 2001. Gov. Phil Bryant has not declared his intentions yet, but the entire legislature and all statewide officers will be pushed to take their stands.

The Sons don’t plan to surrender.

In South Carolina, the group is vowing to fight any effort to send it off to the state’s Confederate Relic Room or some other museum. In Alabama, they are already taking aim at Gov. Bentley.

But contrary forces have been massing quietly for a while across the region.

Much of the Southeast’s new population has migrated from elsewhere, and lack ties to its past. Census data shows native-born residents declined in every state of the old Confederacy from 2000 to 2010, led by South Carolina, which dropped from 64 percent to 59 percent native-born.

Auto and airline manufacturing and other new industries brought in new crops of employees and executives unwilling to stomach unfavorable publicity in an era when social media can spread bad news in an instant.

The Southern Poverty Law Center doesn’t consider the Sons of Confederate Veterans to be a hate group, unlike the Council of Conservatives Citizens. After that group was credited for inspiring the attack on a website created in Roof’s name, Republican politicians moved swiftly this week to return thousands of dollars in donations its leader had given them.

Heidi Beirich, who follows white supremacy groups for the center, said the Sons of Confederate Veterans did have a schism several years ago between members who wanted to promote white superiority and those who didn’t want to appear racist.

Membership numbers dropped thereafter, and they haven’t had a significant flag rally in years. While thousands attended a Statehouse Confederate flag rally in 2000, only 30 or so attended Thursday’s Sons of Confederate Veterans rally in the same spot.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

Hundreds Attend 1st Funerals for US Church Shooting Victims

Don't Miss

Supreme Court Extends Gay Marriage Nationwide

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Activism

Six Months in, Probate Reform Coalition Marks Progress in Protecting Elders From Financial Abuse

Despite the cited obstacles, NPRC has made some promising inroads towards their mission. NPRC has identified that nationwide the Attorneys General must be engaged and encouraged to implement oversight, protection and enforcement of the law; members find support from each other as they advocate for redress via “letters of compassion” sent to judges, nursing facilities and law enforcement agencies and members are instructed on their rights, how to take constructive action to protect those rights through access to resources that allow them to intelligently represent themselves in court.

Published

2 weeks ago

June 24, 2026

Oakland Post

NPRC member Stewart E. Handte, a former Mineral County, Nevada, Sheriff and 27-year veteran of police work, currently wears an ankle monitor after he was arrested on kidnapping charges for helping his friend, Roger Hilligus, remove Hilligus’ mother, Susan Hilligus, from a nursing facility after finding her bruised and neglected. NPRC has submitted a “Letter of Compassion” for both Handte and Hilligus requesting that charges be dropped. Courtesy photo.

By Tanya Dennis

The National Probate Reform Coalition, a loose-knit national coalition of advocates, victims, and families dedicated to protecting elder rights, especially within the probate court system, was formed by the Post Newspaper Group (PNG) after more than a decade of reporting on the mistreatment of elders and the plunder of their estates.

In response, PNG Publisher Paul Cobb set in motion a series of monthly town halls to address the problem and propose workable solutions, designating it a “year of action.”

At six months, the coalition has attracted families, advocates, and experts across the nation whose strategies have proven effective in their respective states, and who are moving forward collectively with the mission of engaging judicial, legislative, and enforcement agencies to ensure elders are not exploited or abused.

“The issue of elder abuse is multi-layered”, says NPRC planning committee member Venus Gist. “Elders are our most vulnerable population, next to children, and they are easily exploited by strangers, their own family members, and the judicial system designed to protect them.”

Since January, NPRC has, via monthly virtual meetings held on the first Thursday of each month, clearly defined the issues and formulated workable solutions that can be implemented nationwide.

“There are amazing laws on the books that protect elders and their assets,” said NPRC member Zakiya Jendayi. “The problem is they are ignored, and that lack of oversight has led to systemic abuse in the Probate Court system, not just in Alameda County, but nationwide.

“The scary part is the collusion and wall of silence NPRC has encountered when reaching out to the Judicial Council, legislators, and the State Bar for assistance. It’s so obvious that one hand is washing the other, that they’re protecting each other, that it’s difficult to initiate any type of meaningful reform much less dialogue.”

Stacy Drake, a Texas member, says, “I’ve been looking for help for over 10 years with my situation, and I finally found it within the NPRC coalition. God answered my prayers.”

Broadening its reach within Alameda County, NPRC has invited Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee to assist with outreach, education, and resolution.

“We hope to host an elder abuse/elder protection symposium annually, if not twice a year, to let our elders know that Alameda County and the City of Oakland are a safe place, a place where in their golden years they have no worries regarding exploitation and abuse,” said Cobb. “Society is defined by how the care for its children and elders.”

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Bay Area

UC Berkeley Named Top Public University in the U.S. and No. 7 in the World by ‘U.S. News’

Berkeley has been consistently awarded the distinction of the U.S.’s top public university since the Best Global Universities list was first published in 2014. “A strong position in the Best Global Universities rankings recognizes a school’s profound commitment to world-class research and cross-border academic excellence,” said LaMont Jones, managing editor for education at U.S. News.

Published

2 weeks ago

June 24, 2026

Oakland Post

Photo by Keegan Houser/UC Berkeley.

The 2026 Best Global Universities rankings evaluated 2,250 research institutions from more than 100 countries

By Lila Thulin

U.S. News & World Report has ranked UC Berkeley No. 7 in its 2026 list of the best global universities, which assesses more than 2,250 research institutions worldwide.

Berkeley also claimed the honor of top public university in the U.S.

Released on Monday, the list evaluates universities from more than 100 countries on 13 metrics such as global and research reputation (as reported by academics and peers) and number of highly cited scholarly papers.

Berkeley has been consistently awarded the distinction of the U.S.’s top public university since the Best Global Universities list was first published in 2014.

“A strong position in the Best Global Universities rankings recognizes a school’s profound commitment to world-class research and cross-border academic excellence,” said LaMont Jones, managing editor for education at U.S. News.

The rankings also assess a university’s strength in various subject areas; these assessments are separate from U.S. News’ 2026 Best Graduate Programs rankings released in April.

This year, Berkeley was named in the top three nationally in seven subject areas – environment/ecology, ecology, water resources, physics, computer science, chemistry, and engineering – and in the top five for a total of 17 subjects. Subject rankings are based heavily on scholarly publications and citations as well as reputation.

In September, U.S. News also released its 2026 Best Colleges list, in which Berkeley was also named the No. 1 public institution among American universities.

That honor joins other accolades judging campus to be the best public university in the country, such as those from Forbes, The Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

#NNPA BlackPress

Lock In Car Price: Avoid Dealer Payment Traps!

Watch the long-form video https://youtu.be/YANxGwD2CjI Don’t get swayed by monthly payments! Always settle the out-of-the-door price first, including all fees. Only then discuss monthly payments, terms, and potential add-ons. #AutoNetwork #CarBuyingTips #CarSales #DealershipSecrets #Negotiation
The post Lock In Car Price: Avoid Dealer Payment Traps! appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

Published

2 weeks ago

June 23, 2026

Oakland Post

Watch the long-form video

Don’t get swayed by monthly payments! Always settle the out-of-the-door price first, including all fees. Only then discuss monthly payments, terms, and potential add-ons. #AutoNetwork #CarBuyingTips #CarSales #DealershipSecrets #Negotiation

The post Lock In Car Price: Avoid Dealer Payment Traps! appeared first on BlackPressUSA.