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
Va Flaggers
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