Confederate flag's last day over South Carolina Capitol

But compromise doesn't end debate

June 30, 2000
Web posted at: 2:48 p.m. EDT (1848 GMT)

In this story: 'Most South Carolinians want this issue done with and gone' Continue the fight? RELATED STORIES, SITES

COLUMBIA, South Carolina (CNN) -- The Confederate flag atop South Carolina's state Capitol comes down Saturday, but for those who fought to have it removed, the victory is a hollow one.

While the flag will no longer fly over the Capitol dome, its removal after 38 years is a compromise. A similar flag will be raised nearby -- at a Confederate soldiers monument on the Statehouse grounds in Columbia.

MESSAGE BOARD The state of race relations    VIDEO CNN's Brian Cabell explains why the banner is coming down -- and why the controversy over it is continuing QuickTime Play Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K

"It's all true to form in a South that's resistant to change," said Dwight James, executive director of the state chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

South Carolina is the last state to fly the Confederate flag atop its Statehouse.

Flag supporters view it as a sign of Southern heritage. Opponents see the 19th-century banner as a reminder of slavery and hate.

They want the flag encased in glass, rather than flown from a flagpole, and insist they'll continue to boycott South Carolina until no Confederate flag flies on the Statehouse grounds.

While the dispute reflects racial divisions within the state, "South Carolina is changing," says Lee Bandy, political writer for The State, a Columbia-based newspaper.

"We don't speak with the Southern twang we once did. We have a lot of new people moving into this state, and the flag doesn't mean that much to them. That has been showing up in the polls over the last couple of years," Bandy told CNN.

"The sentiment towards taking the flag down has increased year after year," he said.

'Most South Carolinians want this issue done with and gone'

The Confederate flag rose on the Statehouse dome in 1962 to celebrate the Civil War's centennial. Last month, after much debate and several demonstrations, the South Carolina Legislature approved the compromise.

"We had a poll here ... that showed that 55 percent of South Carolinians favor the compromise and in the black community, 59 percent favor the compromise," Bandy said. "I think most South Carolinians want this issue done with and gone."

The South Carolina Chamber of Commerce agrees. "As far as we're concerned, it brings finality to the issue," said spokeswoman Deb Woolley. The chamber was one of the most influential flag opponents.

Continue the fight?

The NAACP-organized tourism boycott of South Carolina, which began January 1, is said to have cost the state at least $20 million in lost revenue. The civil rights group has said expanded sanctions could target sporting events and the state's burgeoning film industry.

That has only further angered flag supporters who reluctantly accepted the compromise.

"The people who are now wanting to continue this argument that the flag doesn't need to be here (are) losing ground," said state Representative Jake Knotts.

Finding broad support to continue the fight will be difficult, said Rick Silver, a partner in a Columbia public relations firm who helped lead one of several anti-flag organizations that sprang up in the past year.

"Most people just wanted to see some resolution, some change," he said. If lawmakers had not found a compromise this year, "it would have continued to be a divisive, ugly, distracting, harmful issue that would have taken away from everything else."

For those in industries affected by the boycott, just how the compromise will affect individual business and vacation decisions is unclear.

"We're taking the flag down on July 1," said Charlie Way, head of the state's Commerce Department, which houses the Film Office. "We're going to do our thing the best we possibly can and hope for the best."

Correspondent Brian Cabell and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

NAACP boycott has marginal effect on Spoleto, organizers say
May 31, 2000

South Carolina legislature approves removing Confederate flag
May 18, 2000

Virginia governor averts NAACP tourism boycott
May 10, 2000

Thousands march against Confederate flag in South Carolina
January 17, 2000

Confederate flag raised as campaign issue
Jaunary 16, 2000

NAACP
South Carolina Chamber of Commerce
South Carolina Heritage Coalition
Sons of Confederate Veterans

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.