SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — Assemblymember Isadore Hall, III (D – Los Angeles) today thanked California Governor Jerry Brown and his administration for their swift response in removing several items found for sale at the California State Fair bearing the image of the Confederate flag.
The Confederate Flag is a symbol of racism, exclusion, oppression and violence towards many Americans. Its symbolism and history is directly linked to the enslavement, torture and murder of millions of Americans through the mid-19th Century. Even today, its public display is designed only to instill fear, intimidation and a direct threat of violence towards others.
In 2013, Hall’s office toured the State Fair, located on the grounds of Cal Expo in Sacramento and discovered various items for sale bearing the image of the Confederate flag. His office contacted Cal Expo officials regarding these items and was advised that they would be removed from vendor stalls since they violate Cal Expo’s commercial vendor policy regarding offensive materials.
At the opening weekend of the 2014 State Fair, Hall’s office discovered that there had been an increase in the number of Confederate flag items available for sale including blankets, hats and posters. These items served no educational or historical purpose. Their only objective was to promote violence towards others.
In response, Hall contacted California Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross and the Cal Expo Board of Directors demanding the immediate removal of these items from vendor stalls. By the following day, Cal Expo officials confirmed that all items for sale bearing the Confederate flag had been removed from the Cal Expo fairgrounds.
“The California State Fair is supposed to be a family-friendly event that celebrates the best of California and its people. California should not be in the business of promoting racism, exclusion, oppression or violence towards anyone and taxpayer resources should never be used to market hate towards any Californian,” said Assemblymember Hall. “I want to thank Governor Brown, Secretary Ross, Cal Expo Executive Director Rick Pickering and the Cal Expo Board of Directors for acting quickly to remove Confederate flag items from state fairgrounds and for Cal Expo’s commitment to create a safe and welcoming environment for all of its visitors.”
Isadore Hall, III, represents California’s 64th Assembly District that includes the communities of Carson, Compton, Gardena, Harbor Gateway, Lynwood,
North Long Beach, Rancho Dominguez, South Los Angeles, Torrance, Watts/Willowbrook and Wilmington in Los Angeles County.
