As we approach the end of 2013, the
Virginia Flaggers look back with awe and amazement on what has been a phenomenal
year, and with sincerest appreciation for each person whose support and
encouragement has made it possible. Like
MANY of you, our folks have been busy, and we want to share just a glimpse of
what we have been up
to…
For
the second year, the Va Flaggers led two days of Flagging in Lexington, VA, in
January, to protest the City Council’s discriminatory flag ban, and honor Lee
& Jackson on the State holiday. As
in 2012, we sponsored a banner plane, which circled the town during the events
on Saturday, and participated in the parade and memorial
services.
That
same month, Va Flagger TriPp Lewis was arrested for carrying a Confederate Flag
on Confederate Memorial Park, on the grounds of the Old Soldiers’ Home in
Richmond. Tripp was carrying the flag as
a tribute to his ancestor on the day marking the anniversary of his admittance
into the home. A groundswell of support
brought in funds to pay his legal fees, and all criminal charges were dismissed
in August. This laid the groundwork for
Civil action, which is currently pending, and will serve to address the ongoing
violations of constitutional rights and continued desecration of the Confederate
Memorial Chapel and Confederate Memorial Park by the VMFA.
Throughout
the year, our ongoing vigil at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts continued. EVERY WEEK, TWICE A WEEK, members of the Va
Flaggers gathered to forward the colors and protest the forced removal of
Confederate Flags from the Confederate Memorial Chapel. Started in October of 2011, we could never
have imagined that what we do there every week would make such a
difference. Each week, we see the fruits
of our efforts, as we change hearts and minds, and change the landscape in
Richmond. By our records, our Flaggers
logged over 3,000 hours of flagging at
the VMFA alone, in 2013. This front, on the sidewalk of the Boulevard,
is only one of many which we are pursuing in the battle to RETURN the flags and
RESTORE the honor to the
Chapel.
In
August, news of the sellout of the Museum of the Confederacy meant we added its
Richmond location to our flagging schedule, and we have maintained a presence
ever since, reminding museum officials that there are those of us who do not
take kindly to seeing our heritage and history sold to the highest bidder, and
to let visitors and guests know of the shenanigans taking place.
Susan
had the pleasure of speaking at dozens of SCV meetings, and even her first UDC
speaking engagement, as she traveled to 9 states during the year, sharing
information about heritage defense and encouraging others to take a stand for
their ancestors. In April, she was especially honored to speak at the raising of
the World’s Largest Third National Flag in Tampa.
In
July, she was pleased to attend the SCV National Reunion in Vicksburg, where she
was well received and thrilled to meet so many friends and supporters. The highlight of the trip was receiving heritage defense awards on behalf of many of
the Va Flaggers, and the news that Susan was awarded the Stephen Dill Lee award,
the highest award offered to a non-SCV member by the
SCV.
Throughout
the year, Flaggers attended dozens of memorial services, including traveling to
Point Lookout for the Annual Pilgrimage, and to Sharpsburg for the Memorial
Illumination, as well as many, many other local and nearby events. We saw the formation of other flagging groups
across the South, and have assisted with their organization and activities as
much as possible, and have lent a hand with other heritage defense issues when
help was requested. We also were and are
active in clean-up projects in several local cemeteries, and were proud to
facilitate the return of the Robert E. Lee signage to the bridge in Richmond
that is named in his honor, which had been missing for some time.
In early
August, and in order to raise necessary funds, we announced plans for a Battle
Flag Memorial on I-95 near Chester.
Picked up almost immediately by a few liberal news outlets, the intense
media publicity and scrutiny that ensued over the next months surprised even the
most seasoned heritage defense veterans.
We
unveiled the 15x15 ANV Battle Flag on the steps of the Capitol in Richmond, and
the breathtaking photo from that moment, along with the historical information
of the birth of the CBF, quickly became viral, and was widely circulated in
social media and by news agencies.
In
the end, all of the media attention served to bring us more support than we ever
imagined, and on September 28th, in spite of those who said it would
never happen, a 15x15 ANV Battle Flag
was triumphantly raised on I-95 in Chester to a crowd of 300+ with absolutely no
protests or problems… and still flies today… a living, breathing memorial to the
Confederate Soldier.
For
several months, almost daily, the local paper’s editorial page carried an
opinion piece about the flag, one way or the other, and has opened the door for
many discussions about our heritage.
There was a GREAT piece published in the Wall Street Journal and we were
interviewed by media outlets as far away as Great Britain. EACH TIME we are able to get such coverage,
it is a chance to get OUR MESSAGE out…that of the honor and valor of the
Confederate Soldier! A real, and very
unexpected byproduct of this was that with each interview, televised news story,
or published article, the spotlight once
again was focused on the VMFA and the desecration of the Confederate Memorial
Chapel, giving us new platforms to expose their misconduct, and new support for our efforts
there.
Since
the flag was raised, we have been contacted by many people with land adjacent to
I-95, and other interstates, who are looking to be a part of future
projects. We are looking forward to
seeing these projects continue across Virginia and beyond, as land and funds are
made
available.
The
Va Flaggers look back on 2013 and are overwhelmed at all that was accomplished,
and overcome with gratitude for each and every person who gave of their time,
talents, and resources to make it happen.
As much as we have to be thankful for, we look forward to 2014 with even
more excitement and hope that with the blessings of our Creator, and the
cheering on of a great cloud of witnesses, 2014 will be the year that the flags
will be returned to the Confederate Memorial Chapel, and that Southerners across
Virginia and beyond decided to take a stand for our Confederate Heritage, and
push back against those who would desecrate our memorials and dishonor the
memory of our Confederate dead.
We
have only just begun to fight…will you join
us?
BEST WISHES FOR A SAFE,
HAPPY, AND VERY CONFEDERATE NEW
YEAR!
Grayson Jennings
Va
Flaggers
