Confederate pride takes a political ride

Darby Staup

The Signal

The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles will be re-voting in November on a proposed specialty license plate that features the Confederate battle flag.

A previous vote was held in April, which tied at 4-4 with board member Marvin Rush absent from the meeting. A second vote in June was cancelled due to the unexpected death of board member Ramsay Gillman, who had voted in favor of the plates.

The vote was postponed until Gov. Rick Perry could appoint another board member. New board member Raymond Palacios Jr. was selected to replace Gillman.

The Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) Texas division is working with the commissioner of the Texas General Land Office, Jerry Patterson, to have the plates approved.

Texas Division Commander of the SCV Granvel Block said that the money earned from the plates will go to the Land Office to help restore Texas maps and documents. In addition, the Texas SCV will be able to use the money to place Confederate battlefield markers and repair damaged Civil War grave markers and memorials.

“This is a great PR item,” said Block about why the Texas SCV decided to have specialty plates. “We were established in 1896, but a lot of people don’t really know about us and we don’t have the money to advertise, so this will really promote our membership.”

The Texas SCV has approximately 2,500 members and is a non-profit heritage organization of descendents of soldiers who served in the Confederate Army or Navy.

However other groups, like the Texas NAACP, feel that the license plate will promote more than memberships. In a statement released on their website Oct. 28, the Texas NAACP spoke out against the proposed license plates.

“While we intend no disrespect to any citizen who wants to individually celebrate their ancestor’s history, it is nonetheless clear to us that any objective person should understand that the Confederate battle flag represents repression and is a badge of slavery.”

UHCL student and Sociology major Ashton Tucker spoke out on the historical impact that the Confederate battle flag has had throughout history.

“Regardless of the historical meaning of the ‘Confederate flag’ the Sons of Confederate Veterans should acknowledge that over time the meaning has changed,” Tucker said. “The widespread use of the Confederate flag by white supremacist groups has transformed it into a symbol of hate. Personally, I feel that any use of the flag is disrespectful to minority groups, particularly Black Americans, and all Southerners who disapprove of lingering systems of oppression.”

Several politicians have also spoken out against the plates, including Gov. Rick Perry and State Sen. Rodney Ellis. In a statement released Oct. 26, Sen. Ellis expressed support for Gov. Perry’s stance on the license plates.

“I understand groups wanting to honor their forebears who fought in the Civil War, but the plain truth is that the battle flag represents the tyranny of segregation and Klan violence to millions of Texans,” Ellis said. “Symbols matter.  The Nazis adopted an ancient Hindu symbol as their emblem, and their actions forever tarnished it in the eyes of millions around the world. In my view, the battle flag is a similarly tainted symbol of racism and hatred, and too divisive to too many Texans to receive an official state seal of approval.”

However, leaders of the SCV believe that this issue is political and not racial.

“Some of these groups and people are misleading, and I believe are using this as a political leverage point, especially against Gov. Perry,” Block said. “He has been a supporter of us in the past…I feel that a lot of this is politically motivated and that people are just scraping old wounds.”

Non-profit organizations have the ability to apply for a specialty license plate through the TxDMV. The TxDMV website states that when an application is submitted, the organization must also deposit $8,000 to cover the cost of production. he money is refunded after 1,900 sets of the organization’s plates are sold. Until the minimum requirement is met, the deposit remains in the State Highway Fund.

Once the minimum number has been reached, the state agency sponsor, in this case the Texas General Land Office, will receive $22 of the $30 fee drivers must pay for the specialty plate; the two organizations then work together to determine where the proceeds will be spent. The TxDMV board makes the final approval for specialty plates based on compliance with state laws, if the plate can accommodate the International Symbol of Access, whether or not it competes with an existing plate, if the plate has low projected sales or if the board has any additional concerns.

However, this whole process requires the TxDMV board’s approval. If the TxDMV board does not approve the plates, the Texas SCV is prepared to file a lawsuit. Block already has approval from the Texas SCV council to take further action, and the SCV has previously filed and won lawsuits under similar circumstances in Maryland, North Carolina, Florida and Virginia.

“Each time we prevail in court of law because it is a freedom of speech issue,” said Michael Givens, commander in chief of the SCV. “And it is very difficult for a state to give one group rights and then deny another.”

Ashley Packard, professor of communication and digital media studies, points out that the First Amendment becomes more complicated when government is involved.

“The question is really whether citizens can force their expression on government,” Packard said. “The government’s refusal to print particular messages on license plates is not, in my opinion, a violation of the First Amendment. The government is obligated not to interfere with our speech rights. It is not obligated to carry speech out for us. These people are not prevented from exercising their right to expression. They can print up a bumper sticker or put a sign in the car window.”

People interested in voicing their opinions to the TxDMV board can contact the TxDMV at 1-888-368-4689. The TxDMV can also be contacted by visiting www.txdmv.gov and clicking on the “Contact Us” link.




Slideshow created by The Signal reporter Rachel Miranda.