#confederatesintheattic

[kateelizabethfowler]

1 - A family poses for a group portrait in front of the Stone Mountain Confederate Memorial, outside of Atlanta, Georgia. The United Daughter’s of the Confederacy commissioned this carving of Confederate Generals Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis in 1916. It was officially completed in 1972.

 Initially, the carving was supposed to include a Ku Klux Klan ceremonial alter. The commission was initiated by UDC charter member Helen Plane, who was deeded the rock face by the Venable Brothers. At that time, Samuel Hoyt Venable was involved in the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan and granted the Klan an easement to the mountain in 1923, where they held cross burnings and regular meetings. 

Stone Mountain is located in what was once ‘Shermantown’, a small, predominantly African American suburb of Atlanta, named by emancipated slaves to honor Union General Sherman.

2 - A woman sells raffle tickets to a cruise, in the theme park surrounding the Stone Mountain Confederate memorial. When asked to share her feelings on working in the park she stated, “It’s not my history and I know that. When you grow up in South Carolina you get used to it. It’s always there. Working here is no different than (working) any other place around here; it’s just more out in the open. I just don’t even think about it anymore.” She opted not to share her name for this project. 

3 - A crowd gathers before the Stone Mountain Laser Spectacular. The laser show is directed towards an audience of both children and adults. It begins with Pharrell’s Happy, as a cartoon hat jumps rhythmically between the heads of Confederate Generals Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis. Over the next hour, the generals are woven into various narratives about the Civil War, contemporary American patriotism and popular youth culture. In a closing gesture towards audiences that may be sensitive to the glorification of southern history, there is a historically inaccurate depiction of the three generals breaking their swords over their knees as a symbol of solidarity with the northern union.   As the final fireworks were released above the mountain and the façade was illuminated for the last time, everyone rose for a standing ovation.

[kateelizabethfowler]

1 - Brothers Dustin & Benjamin Byrd at a Ku Klux Klan rally at the Columbia, South Carolina State House. Although Dustin & Benjamin have no affiliation with the KKK, they attended to stand in protest of the state’s removal of a Confederate flag from the State House grounds.

Dustin and Benjamin were confronted by a group of 20 - 30 protestors as they walked with the Confederate flag. They stood with the fabric cradled in their arms to keep it from touching the ground as members of the group challenged them on their assertion that the flag represented a “beloved and bygone era of chivalry and hard work”. When questioned about the Civil War and its contextual history, Dustin spoke of agriculture and the preservation of “southern culture”. When asked if he was racist, he said “no”.

He spoke of ancestors and of growing up in South Carolina, where the flag was flown above the Capitol or on the State House grounds his entire life. He spoke of fighting in Afghanistan and of the importance of honoring veterans, your history and your nation. After a rock was thrown and the group surrounding the brothers grew, two police officers intervened and walked Dustin and Benjamin to the street. Placing his hand on Dustin’s solider, one of the officers offered an apology, stating: “I’m sorry, you didn’t do anything wrong. You know we’re just trying to keep you safe.” Dustin shook his hand and thanked him for his service. 2 - A monument dedicated to Confederate soldiers, on the northern lawn of the State House. From 1962 until 2000, a Confederate flag flew from the dome of the capitol building. In 2000, the flag was moved from the capitol building to this monument, where it remained until its removal on July 10, 2015. Despite ongoing protests and petitions for its removal, the flag remained on the sovereign grounds of the State House until Governor Nikki Haley called for its removal, following the massacre of 9 African Americans (Cynthia Hurd, 54; Susie Jackson, 87; Ethel Lance, 70; Rev. DePayne Middleton-Doctor, 49; Hon. Rev. Clementa Pinckney, 41; Tywanza Sanders, 26; Rev. Daniel Simmons Sr., 74; Rev. Sharonda Singleton, 45; Myra Thompson, 59). The flag is currently on display at the South Carolina Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum. Metal barricades surround the perimeter of the monument during concurrent Black Lawyers and Educators for Justice and Ku Klux Klan rallies on the northern and southern ends of the State House lawn.

[kateelizabethfowler]

1 - Malik (8), Daron (15) & Michael (12) weave palm roses to sell to mourners outside of the AME Emanuel Church in Charleston, South Carolina. A month before, a white supremacist (Dylann Storm, 21) took the lives of 9 congregants of the church during their evening Bible Study (Cynthia Hurd, 54; Susie Jackson, 87; Ethel Lance, 70; Rev. DePayne Middleton-Doctor, 49; Hon. Rev. Clementa Pinckney, 41; Tywanza Sanders, 26; Rev. Daniel Simmons Sr., 74; Rev. Sharonda Singleton, 45; Myra Thompson, 59). Hundreds of their hand-woven palm roses decorate the facade of the church, which has become a sprawling memorial for mourners and community members. 

In the wake of this tragedy, the Governor of South Carolina (Nikki R. Haley) called for the removal of a Confederate flag from the Columbia, South Carolina State House grounds. In solidarity with this gesture, cities across South Carolina pulled down their flags from the Confederate Memorials and sites. 2 - “King of the South” (Cotton) on display at the Ft. Sumter Museum in Charleston, South Carolina. Ft.Sumter removed a Confederate Flag from the courtyard of their museum after the massacre at the AME Emanuel Church, yet the memorial and island fort remain celebrated entry points into the first shots fired by Confederate Secessionists.

“[H]istory, as nearly no one seems to know, is not merely something to be read. And it does not refer merely, or even principally, to the past.

On the contrary, the great force of history comes from the fact that we carry it within us, are unconsciously controlled by it in many ways, and history is literally present in all that we do. It could scarcely be otherwise, since it is to history that we owe our frames of reference, our identities, and our aspirations.” -James Baldwin