I thought I had got quite a bit accomplished this year until I read this letter by Mr. H. K. Edgerton. While we did do a lot, Mr. Edgerton reminds us there is still a long way to go and many more obstacals we must pass.
For those who do not know Mr. edgerton he is a black Southern activist and former leader in the NAACP. You can see a photo of me and Mr. Edgerton in the image gallery "Alabama burial" photo # 28.
One day after having completed the some 1,600 miles to Texas on the Historic March Across Dixie, I would be sitting in my mom’s living room recounting tales of my adventure with some of my nieces and nephews. I must say that I was getting a little braggadocios in the accounting when my mom stepped into the room and quietly inquired of me; son did you not have on a pair of the best boots that modern man can make? Yes mam was my reply. And did you not spend the night in some of the best motel and hotels and even in the home of Sparks Ramey that I’ve heard you brag about under clean sheets? Yes mam was my reply. You have even claimed that by the time you left Louisiana that you had gained 14 pounds eating on craw fish and lobster tails. I am proud that you made the journey for our homeland, but you must never forget that the men of Jackson, Cleburne and Lee had no such amenities. These men ate rats and mule meat, droppings of corn left at the horse trough, ground up rocks, slept out in the open where ever they dropped after a day of walking the same twenty miles that you brag about. Some without shoes or socks, or two left foot shoes that didn’t even fit over ground not paved or grass that was cut, carrying guns and stock that weigh many pounds and then having to do battle to boot.
She went on to ask had the plaques of General Lee been placed back on the walls of the Supreme Court building in Austin. No mam was my reply. Had the baby girl in Kentucky been granted another Prom so that she might wear the beautiful dress of the Southern Cross that she had made (referring to Jacqueline Duty of Kentucky)? No mam was my reply. Had the children of Hayes High school right there in the Republic of Texas where Terry Lee and I had trod, been allowed to bring back the Southern Cross and cheer once again as the Rebels with a pride not of hate but love? No mam was my reply. Had the babies of Maryville High in Tennessee accomplished the same? No mam was my reply. She could have gone on, but I politely interrupted her with a but mom, and she looked at me with one of those loving mom looks and said; son you have not done enough.
I would quietly go to the corner where my flag stood, pick it up and walk up the street to the Montford Avenue Bridge over Interstate 240 and stand waving at the passersby. I had not been there long than would Terry Lee pass in the famous maroon I Think I Can Van that had safely carried us on the journey to Texas. HK, he would shout! Did we not just walk to Texas, and did we not just get back yesterday? Why are you standing out there on the bridge? You should be resting. I told him to go and talk to his mama. In less than ten minutes, I saw the Christian Cross of Saint Andrew heading up the road in my direction. It was Terry Lee. When he arrived where I stood, not a word was exchanged between us, he had talked to mom.
Terry Lee and I have received many accolades and honors since that day on the bridge that joins the road where my mom riding on a caisson drawn by two white horses that bore her body on her final earthly journey as the only Black woman to have a Confederate State Funeral, surrounded by her Southern family , Red, Yellow, Black and White, Sons of the Confederate Veterans who had stood over her as she lie in State, the United Daughters of the Confederacy and the Ladies of the Order of Confederate Rose that she loved so much, marching to the tune of George Forsythe, a grand bagpiper and her son Terry Lee with his crew of African Drummers, and I donned in the uniform of the Southern Soldier that she loved so much, and so many from the community that she had served. However, I can hear her from Heaven on high ask: Son what about young Candice Hardwick of Latta High School in South Carolina, what about the babies of Blount County High School in Tennessee, what about the men of DuPont in Richmond, Virginia who lost so much, what about Adrian Paul McClaren of Mississippi, what about the Depot at Ringgold, what about Mandeville High in Louisiana or Salem High in Conyers, Georgia that bans the shirt of Dixie OutFitters that bestowed a historic honor upon you and the name of Edgerton, what about Johns Hopkins University? Son you have not done enough!
To you Sons of Confederate Veterans, we the Edgerton‘s will commit the vindication of the cause for which you fought. To our strength will be given the defense of the Confederate Soldiers good name, the guardianship of his history, the emulation of his virtues, the emulation of his virtues, the perpetuation of those principles which he loved, and those ideals which made him glorious.
h.k. was a surprise guest at my scv meetings one night. he concluded his speech with a dramatic rendition of a poem about the battle flag. it was very inspiring.
remarkable! i visited hk's site today and found lots of good things. it will be interesting to read more about his travels and the situations that he has encountered.
I, too, have always appreciated HK's actions and believed that as a "black man in a gray kepi", he represented something unique. Unfortunately, however, he seems to have shown a certain lack of good sense in being a party to the image posted below. Quite a large number of people have e-mailed him begging for some clarification or, at least, an apology for an offensive action - albeit probably unintentional - but so far he has not responded. I hope he has better sense than to remain silent lest the worst possible motives be attributed to his actions.
You are not the only one wondering. But the developing problem is the lack of response from HK to those of his friends in the Cause who are asking for some sort of explanation. Silence is NOT beneficial either to HK or to those who defend him. It's sometimes hard to say, "Whoops! I made an error in judgment!" but it's better to say that than to be perceived as ignoring the queries of those who have seen this - and apparently, HK was quite open about the abomination. Well, hell, you don't have your picture taken with something like that if you don't want folks to know. I know that there are some folks that are giving him about five days to respond before they make up their own minds - and that was about three days ago.
While I still have the right of freedom of speech in this Country to voice my opinion, I would like to do so now. And, I hope that I am not overstepping my bounds on the SHAPE site. If so, Mark or George, please delete it.
When I first saw that picture, I thought that it was a roar of thunder that I had just heard. But, I believe that it was a simultaneous rolling over of all Confederate dead.
I was very disappointed in what I see in the picture posted above. I have pulled this back up three times to make sure that what I saw IS there. I just cannot for the very life of me understand why anyone in this whole world (though they have the right to their opinion) believes that he would give hope to the South and respect and defense to the Confederate dead who deserve so much honor but have been handed nothing but hatred by those who know nothing of true history .
I believe that if he could be expected to show respect to the South and the Confederacy he had plenty of opportunity to do so while he was in front of the microphone those many months. He may have done so; but I did not hear it.
We don't all at every time exercise intelligent and rational responses.
I remember a particularly well loved TV weatherman from my youth who got carried away with a stupid and insensitive remark on a news program that was known for its "tongue in cheek" humor and lack of decorum. It ruined his career and his life. His remark was inexcusable and no amount of apologies could save him. Yet, he was a good man with a good heart who fell into the sort of "in your face" anti-establishment milieu favored by this particular news crew and station. They got away with it but he, a men unused to such cynicism, made the fatal error of not recognizing what was - and was not tolerated. He spoke without thinking and paid the ultimate price for doing so.
I, however, always felt sorry for what happened simply because I knew that he was the victim of an inability to embrace the sort of "journalism" that was extant at the time. It may well be that what we see here is not an "in your face" insult to the flag, but, like the gentleman above, an inability to see that the "joke" is NOT FUNNY and is an insult and an offense to the very people that HK at least SAYS he supports and respects.
But now the ball in is in HK's court. He has to come forth and explain his actions and proffer the necessary apology to those who believed in him and who wish to continue to do so. If he does so, we are duty bound as Christians to accept his apology and consign his momentary insensitivity to oblivion, remembering what he has done on (y)our behalf. If, on the other hand, he either cannot or will not explain his actions, then he must expect what will happen as a result. It may also be that he is not what he says he is and we have been "culled and diddled" by him for a considerable period of time. Doubtless, we will learn that as well.
But for now, given the fact that he might not yet be apprised of this tempest, we must exercise patience until that is no longer reasonably possible.
as we are speaking our minds, i must also ask the question of who are the 2 men standing with hk? if they are members of the sons of confederate veterans then they should also apoligize for the smirks on their faces, as they hold up the defaced battleflag, they have smiles as big as hk's. as a son of confederate veteran or any other proud southerner it is a disgrace to deface the battle flag such as seen here. thats not all i have to say, but it is the nicest way to say it.
This doesn't happen often but I am truly at loss for words. I respect a persons right to their opinion, but I don't think Obama is a friend of the South and nor would I imagine anything Confederate. I just don't know what to say.
Gator I agree I would like to know what those two grinning fellows are all about. I mean my gosh didn't any of the 3 ever hear of Rev. Wright and Obama?
Sorry for the delay in responding. I screwed up my log in and the folks had to work to straighten it out! Anyway, it came from many different places, but HK himself apparently disseminated it. He has responded (I will include response below) and it seems to me that this was simply a matter of poor judgment and worse taste. But remember, HK wasn't the only person in that photograph, so there is blame enough to go round. I personally would suggest that we chalk this up to one of the "stupid moments" to which we are all subject in life and go from there. Hopefully, we've all learned something about the respectful treatment of (y)our symbols which will put an end to naked bimbos and flaming skulls emblazoned on the battle flag! HK deserves to be forgiven for his lapse in judgment and the matter, as John Mosby once put it, "consigned to oblivion". ----------------------------------------------------
It came from HK himself and has appeared in a number of places including Chuck Demastus SHNV forum. I received it from a friend who is on HK's mailing list. As noted, I tried to put it here, but couldn't cut and paste or add it as an attachment. I have no idea how else to get it on, frankly. I will send it to George and see if he can post it.
For those who wonder what happened about my being unable to get onto the site, at the beginning I had real problems with passwords and usernames etc. So when I tried to get on the other day and the password that was on the "remember me" wasn't the right one, I was "autobanned" for having tried to get on ten times with an incorrect password. I am the world's largest and stoopidist technoboob.
Thanks for the information, Val. But, I still didn't find it. Maybe George can paste it on this site for all us folks that can't ever find what we are looking for. I'm not very sharp on all this computer stuff either. But, I keep stumbling around anyway.
I did find quite a few sites, though, that I want to do some searching on when I get the opportunity.
I also hope for a very good New Year to all with much good health and happiness.
I was asked to pose holding a Vanity flag that bore the picture of President- elect Obama and emblazoned beside it was the Confederate Battle flag. My first inclination was to say no because it might offend many people within the black community. However the more I thought about the message of hope that this man contends to aspire to, and the rhetoric he espouses about Lincoln, the more I looked at that flag and wondered if that message of hope included those of us in the South who look for a President who has the guts to give our people the hope that we wish for in the telling of truth about the epic that led to the separation of this nation, about the hope that our people can honor our ancestors and their symbols without bearing an unwarranted shame placed upon us by revisionist historians, hope that he would have read the letter that I addressed to him to allow a Confederate Honor Guard at his Inauguration and an Ambassador to the South who would lead an effort to end the sectional hostilities that continue as our Northern brothers continue the modus operandi aimed at breaking the spirit of their Brothers with their attacks upon our Flag and our noble ancestors who fought under it , hope that since he so claims to admire Lincoln; that he would provide the South with the Marshall Plan that Lincoln promised that never transpired.
I have seen many, many vanity flags, yet I wonder just why so many would read into this one the things that they have. I am not pleased with the one sold on the Eastern Band Cherokee Reservation that bears the image of the Cherokee Indian on it because I don’t believe they have stepped forward like their ancestors did in the defense of our Southland, and I certainly am not happy with the Eastern band who have turned their backs on the Blacks they enslaved, married, sired and have now banned their ancestors from participating in their gaming revenues. I don’t find them worthy of the honor of a vanity flag that bears the Southern Cross.
I didn’t create the flag, nor did I intend or perceive any disrespect in its interpreted meaning. However, I do appreciate the opportunity of dialogue that it has generated. I have no intentions of letting the new President or the old one who now prepares to leave office to forget the injustices that the people of my homeland, the Southland of America ,continue to suffer as they are not granted the same opportunity to express their 1st Amendment Rights as other citizens of this nation as they are forced to remember their ancestors in shame and the honorable symbols they carried in the defense of their homeland that had been invaded. Nor do I intend to stand idle as the same kind of bigots who lumped the loyal Blacks in with those who would taint that honor earned as done in the period of so called Reconstruction. Hollywood won’t tell the story, nor will the Federal public school system about the place of honor, dignity, and heroism displayed by so many. And I have come too far to let those who continue to feel and practice the symptoms of hatred toward me and my black family rule the day.
I would caution any censorship of vanity flags , shirts or material that are not vulgar . However, if the picture of me standing holding the one that has inspired so much negative dialogue warrants a disciplinary action from the Sons of Confederate Veterans and it’s Commander in Chief of whom I love and respect ; then I am man enough to accept it.
