Remarks By Governor
David M. Beasley

The Flag Controversy
Nov. 26, 1996

Good evening.

Thank you for joining me tonight for what I consider to be the single most important 15 minutes I've ever spent with you...maybe the most important moments we'll ever spend.

I'm here to talk about an issue that strikes at the very heart of every South Carolinian...where the most passionate feelings about our heritage and our common future are stirring.

South Carolina is the only place I've called home. But even after growing up and being educated here, I have seen the fullness and richness of this state in a new light as your governor.

We are a blessed people in so many ways. We possess the treasures of the honeysuckle and coral reef, the red clay of the mountains and the white sand of the beaches. We are stewards of vast natural resources to enjoy and protect.

The land we live on is a gift. How we live on the land is a choice. And it is this -- how we have chosen to live -- that has inspired me in my travels.

While we are not immune from the moral and social problems confounding the nation, we have not succumbed to them. In tens of thousands of households, children are being taught the difference between right and wrong. Against great odds, parents strive to be role models. The churches dotting our street corners stand as beacons of hope and neighbor still helps neighbor.

Ours is a good state with good people who have chosen to live honorably.

This is why I am outraged over the church burnings and other hate crimes that have occurred. I know you are, too.

Since January of 1991, there have been 31 confirmed church arsons in South Carolina: 18 African-American churches; 11 predominantly white churches; one Islamic mosque and one Hispanic church.

While frauds or vandals often proved to be the culprits we know that in others, nothing but pure hate struck the match...just as hate pulled the trigger in the drive-by shootings of three teenagers in Pelion.

I can assure you that our law enforcement is doing everything in its power to track down, prosecute and punish all criminals -- especially those who deal in racial and religious hatred.

These crimes happened in South Carolina but do not represent South Carolina. Our people stand out against this backdrop of hate like stars against the midnight sky.

When evil seeks to overtake good, the first casualty is truth.

And so it is with the Confederate flag.

By resolution in 1962, the General Assembly voted to fly the flag over the State House to honor the 70-thousand South Carolinians who served our state in the War Between the States, and the 20-thousand who died.

It was -- and is -- proper to honor our heritage and the people who made it.

But the plowshare has been turned into a sword. Hate-filled cowards cover their heads and meet under the cloak of night, scattering their seeds of racism in the winds of deceit about the flag and its meaning.

Extremism breeds extremism, and because of this, those of us that honor the flag are labeled racist by some. Senator Glenn McConnell is a good example. He is an honest man, dedicated to this state and its people. Not long ago he was called a racist solely because of his support of the flag. My friends, that is just wrong.

It is also inexcusable when we are called a racist state. We are not.

We have to get beyond the name calling and stereotyping. We must sit down black and white, Republican and Democrat, to ask what is right. And then we must have the courage to do what is right.

I have a question for us tonight: Do we want our children to be debating the Confederate flag in ten years?

If we stay on the present course, such will be their fate. And the debate will not subside, but intensify. I don't want that for my children or yours.

And what about honoring our heritage and those who fought for it? Do we do them honor by continuing on our present course? After much prayer, I have concluded we do not.

You see, the Confederate flag flying above the State House flies in a vacuum. Its meaning and purpose are not defined by law.

Because of this, any group can give the flag any meaning it chooses. The Klan can misuse it as a racist tool, as it has, and others can misuse it solely as a symbol for racism, as they have.

The Confederate flag is being torn asunder. Our proud heritage and the courage of those who came before are being dishonored. I respect it and them too much to allow the flag's misuse to continue.

I therefore will call upon the General Assembly to adopt the 1997 South Carolina Heritage Act, which once and for all will institutionalize our proud heritage. While we can't stop the misuse of the flag we can by law rightfully define it and permanently protect it.

Let me explain to you exactly what the bill does. First, it will fly the flag in front of the Capital at the Confederate monument. A second flag...the official flag of the Confederacy will be placed at the Women of the Confederacy Memorial behind the Capital.

And last of all, the Heritage Act will officially protect the names of all streets, monuments, and public squares bearing the names of our confederate leaders.

A similar bill was adopted by the Senate in 1994 but died in the House because there just wasn't enough time on the legislative calendar to debate it.

But I get back to my question: do we want our children to be debating this issue ten years from now because we haven't resolved it? I say no.

I want my three children to revere tradition and understand that their privileges as South Carolinians were hard-earned, even with blood. I want them to respect the flag for all the right reasons and the Heritage Act will help them do it. Our children will be able to visit the State House, see the flags flying above the Confederate monuments and learn of their true meaning which has nothing to do with racial hatred.

But any banner we choose to fly over the Capitol...where decisions about our children's futures are made should be one that everyone can claim as their own.

A flag should be a symbol that unites all those standing below it...one that every South Carolinian can look up to with respect, admiration and the unshakable knowledge that the flag flies for them.

But I long for all South Carolina children something of even greater value. Like so many things the Bible puts it best: "Now abideth faith, hope and charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity."

The word charity combines the meaning of love and brotherly love and implies intense concern for others.

My friends, our children will not learn charity unless black parents and white parents start practicing charity towards one another.

The Bible also tells us to love our neighbors as ourselves. It is time for the races to compromise on the Confederate flag to show Judeo-Christian love that will bring the races closer together and teach our children that we can live together in mutual respect.

My great, great, great grandfather Reuben Beasley and his two sons fought for the Confederacy leaving his wife and younger children behind. My roots in this issue go deep. Yes, I want to honor my ancestors and the Heritage Act will do this.

But even more, I want to work for today's generation and those of tomorrow. I want us to leave for them a standard by which they measure themselves - a standard of respect, honor, integrity and reconciliation.

My proposal thus far has met resistance from both sides. Flag supporters say let it continue to fly over the State House. Flag opponents say take it down and stick it in a museum.

Tonight, I'm asking the leadership of both sides to meet me half way. Let's end this debate once and for all.

Tonight, I'm asking that we come together as a people - to honor each other and understand each other: to forge a ministry of reconciliation that extends to every citizen from the greatest to the least.

I ask you to think about this and to pray about it. And may God richly bless you and your family and may God Bless South Carolina.

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