SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — Calif. Senator Isadore Hall, III (D – South Bay) today called upon political leaders in South Carolina and any other states that publicly display the Confederate flag on government property to remove them immediately.
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 to instill fear, intimidation and a direct threat of violence towards others.
In 2014, then Assemblymember Hall authored AB 2444, which prohibited the State of California from displaying or selling items bearing the image of the Confederate flag. Hall introduced the legislation after his mother, who was raised in the segregated South, discovered that the gift shop inside the California State Capitol was selling replica Confederate money. AB 2444 received overwhelming bipartisan support and was signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown.
“South Carolina and any other state that displays the Confederate flag on government property should follow California’s lead: remove the Confederate flag immediately,” said Senator Hall.
“The Confederate flag is a symbol of hate. Period. No American should be exposed to the type of hate, intimidation or threat of violence caused by the image of the Confederate flag. If we are truly committed to the tenants of equality and justice for all people in this nation, we must not allow such images of hate to be promoted by our own government. We are one nation, one union, with one flag. It is time to remove the Confederate flag from public spaces and relegate its image to the pages of our history books.”
Isadore Hall, III, represents California’s 35th Senate District that includes the communities of Carson, Compton, Gardena, Harbor Gateway, Hawthorne, Inglewood, Lawndale, Lennox, Lynwood, North Long Beach, Rancho Dominguez, Rancho Palos Verdes, San Pedro, South Los Angeles, Torrance, Watts/Willowbrook and Wilmington.
