More than 150 people gathered in front of the historic Hillsborough courthouse for the North Carolina NAACP’s “Press Conference for Historical Accuracy.” The crowd included elected officials, local NAACP leaders and residents of many races, some waving small American flags.

North Carolina NAACP leader Rev. William Barber said his organization called the conference to mark 50 years since the passage of the Voting Rights Act and to protest the 2013 state voting laws and moves by the 2015 legislature to protect Confederate monuments.

“Our current legislature and governor will protect monuments and flags of our racist past that fuels racism in our present, but they refuse to protect voting rights.”

The NAACP press conference in Hillsborough came two days before as many as 1,500 Confederate flag supporters are expected to converge upon the town for Saturday’s “Southern Heritage Ride and Rally.” The rally was organized in response to efforts to remove the words “Confederate Memorial” from the Orange County Historical Museum.

“When we equate Southern heritage with pro-confederate rhetoric and symbols, we are falling victim to the lie of Southern heritage—a lie that so many of my white brothers and sisters have been fed for their entire lives,” said Laurel Ashton, field secretary for the North Carolina NAACP. She was one of many speakers at Thursday’s press conference who expressed skepticism about the history and values behind Confederate symbols.

“An accurate reading of history shows us that most Confederate monuments were erected 50 years after the war to celebrate a successful campaign of violent white terrorism to crush Reconstruction,” Ashton said. “An accurate reading of history shows us that it wasn’t until the 1950s when the Confederate flag became main-stream after a rise in white supremacy groups following the passage of Brown v. Board of Education.”

Rev. Barber called on Governor Pat McCrory and the General Assembly to repeal the monuments bill, saying the Confederate symbols it protects represent white supremacy.

“And if you push white supremacy to the nth degree, it means that you have the right to kill or destroy anybody that’s not like you,” Barber warned. “That’s dangerous. It’s dangerous yes, in the mind of Dylann Roof, but it is even more dangerous when it is supported by governors and legislatures of the state because it gives a legitimacy to it.”

The North Carolina NAACP will continue its protest of the state legislature and the removal of sections from the Voting Rights Act in a 170-mile march across North Carolina. The 170 miles are part of a larger march organized by the national NAACP. Like the historic march for voting rights in 1965, this summer’s march begins in Selma, Alabama, and ends in Washington, D.C.

Related Stories
‹
Hundreds Gather in Hillsborough to Support Confederate Flag
Several hundred confederate flag supporters gathered in downtown Hillsborough Saturday for a ‘Southern Heritage Ride and Rally.’ It was pitched as an educational event to learn more about the history of the flag and other Confederate memorials. WCHL’s Jess Clark was there, listen below:   Last Thursday, on the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights […]
Hillsborough Officials, Residents Condemn White Supremacist Disruption of NAACP Virtual Town Hall
Elected officials and residents gathered once again on Saturday at the old courthouse in Hillsborough to condemn the actions taken by white supremacists during a virtual Zoom call. On July 26, a virtual Northern Orange NAACP town hall event on how to transform and improve law enforcement was disrupted by white supremacists. The Zoom call was interrupted when users […]
Orange County Rejects Appeal Over Large Confederate Flag Along U.S. 70
The Orange County Board of Adjustment rejected an appeal by a Hillsborough resident over a large Confederate flag on his private property on Monday. The board heard the case of Robert Hall Jr., who lives near U.S. Highway 70 and has had a large Confederate flag raised since April 2018. Hall was appealing his flag’s […]
NAACP Freedom Fund Banquet to Feature Activist Bree Newsome
The Chapel Hill-Carrboro chapter of the NAACP is hosting its annual Freedom Fund Banquet on Saturday, featuring activist and filmmaker Bree Newsome as this year’s keynote speaker. Newsome went to school to become a filmmaker. But after June 27, 2015, she became known on the national scale as an activist. That day, Newsome climbed the […]
Orange County Commissioners Pass Anti-Hate Resolution, '400 Years' Remembrance
Saturday Rally in Downtown Hillsborough Follows Those Waving Confederate Flag
Several individuals were holding large Confederate flags in downtown Hillsborough two Saturdays ago, drawing the attention of local business owners and residents in the area. Mayor Tom Stevens said this isn’t a rare occurrence, with small groups standing on downtown street corners waving Confederate flags “from time to time.” “It really does convey a message […]
1 Year Later, Orange County Working to Enforce New Flag Ordinance
The public response to a Confederate flag raised last year alongside Route 70 saw residents urge Orange County Commissioners to amend county ordinance regarding flags. The changes were made, including new restrictions on the size of flags allowed based on the zoning of the property where the flag stands. Officials then gave residents one year […]
Confederate Flag Supporters Rally In Hillsborough
Hundreds of Confederate flag supporters gathered in downtown Hillsborough Saturday for the “Southern Heritage Ride and Rally.” From the steps of Hillsborough Town Hall, Gary Williamson spoke to a crowd of about 600 people. There were old people, young people, families and couples. Most carried or wore the Confederate battle flag. Even toddlers waved their […]
Hillsborough Rally Planner Says Hate Groups Are Stealing Her Heritage
Saturday’s ‘Southern Heritage’ rally has stirred up strong emotions about the meaning and appropriateness of the Confederate flag and other memorials.
'Southern Heritage' Rally Could Bring 1,500 to Hillsborough on Saturday
The Town of Hillsborough is preparing for a rally in support of Confederate heritage this Saturday that’s expected to draw more than 1,500 people. Billed as an “educational rally about Confederate heritage,” the event is organized by a group called Orange County Taking Back Orange County. Members are hoping to draw attention to an effort […]
›