As Confederate flags and memorials are being taken down or moved from places of prominence across the country, the governor of Mississippi has dug in his heels and proclaimed April to be “Confederate Heritage Month” in the state.
Gov. Phil Bryant issued the proclamation in response to a request from the Sons of Confederate Veterans, a group that is against changing the Mississippi state flag to remove the Confederate battle flag from it.
The SCV is also a staunch supporter of “revisionist history” about the Civil War—that is, that it was not fought to maintain slavery, extend it to new states and force the return of fugitive slaves who had made their way to free states—according to the Jackson Free Press.
Bryant, a Republican who has served as governor since 2012, said in the order that “it is important for all Americans to reflect open our nation’s past, to gain insight from our mistakes and successes, and to come to a full understanding that the lessons learned yesterday and today will carry us through tomorrow if we carefully and earnestly strive to understand and appreciate our heritage and our opportunities which lie before us.”
Mississippi is the last state in the country to fly the Confederate battle flag above its state capitol.
Other states, including Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Texas and, until recently, Virginia, have also celebrated the losing side of the Civil War during April, though some call it Confederate History Month.
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