SATURDAY JANUARY 15TH
Lee-Jackson Day is a celebration of the lives of two great heroes and most noteworthy citizens of Lexington, Virginia. Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. 'Stonewall' Jackson were both born near this date which became a longstanding state holiday across the South. While neither man was born here, both spent the final years of their lives as residents of Lexington. 'Stonewall' Jackson arrived here prior to the War Between the States and became an integral part of the community as a church leader and professor at the Virginia Military Institute. Robert E. Lee arrived in Lexington following the war and rescued a destitute college that was later renamed Washington and Lee in his honor. Both men are buried here which makes the town a fitting venue to commemorate their lives. We welcome you to join us as we honor not only their military genius, but their personal lives, faith, and character. We also encourage you to walk the streets and explore the town upon which both men left their permanent mark and legacy.2011 Event Updates
Kenny G. Rowlette, Associate Professor of English at Liberty University has been selected as our featured speaker for the 2011 Memorial Services to be held January 15th. Professor Rowlette is the Director of the National Civil War Chaplains Research Center and Museum in Lynchburg, Virginia and the Co-Chair of the Liberty University Civil War Seminar.
See the Roanoke Times article on the 2010 Event: Click Here
2011 Event Schedule:
10:30 am - Wreath Laying and Military Salute in the Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery at the gravesite of General Thomas J. 'Stonewall' Jackson. Come witness a solemn military ceremony at Jackson Circle in front of the grave and life-size statue of the General. SCV, UDC, OCR, and other participating groups are encouraged to lay a wreath at the general's grave.
Noon - Memorial Service in Lee Chapel featuring guest speaker Kenny G. Rowlette. Topic: Opposites in Command - The Legendary Partnership of Lee and Jackson. Lee Chapel was built under the direction of Robert E. Lee while he was president of Washington College. The Chapel houses an addition that was designated as the Robert E. Lee Memorial. The memorial houses the recumbent statue of Lee by Edward Valentine and the Lee family crypt. (Note: no weapons, period replicas or otherwise, are allowed in Lee Chapel)
1:30 pm - Lee-Jackson Day Luncheon at the historic Hampton Inn - Col Alto featuring live music and good Southern hospitality. Cost: $21 per adult / $15 per child. Pre-payment must be received by January 10th. Send payment to:
Lee-Jackson Day PO Box 466 Lexington, VA 24450 or call (540) 461-0389 (No credit cards accepted)
We recommend the Hampton Inn-Col Alto for those who wish to stay in Lexington Call (540) 463-2223
$89+tax room rate available until January 4th. Ask for the Lee-Jackson Day rate.
Event Sponsor:
THE STONEWALL BRIGADE CAMP #1296 SCV LEXINGTON, VIRGINIA
For more information please [click] Email Us or call (540) 461-0389 or write to us at PO Box 466 Lexington, VA 24450. Camp Website
For a MAP of the event locations, , please send an email request or Click Here
Additional Lodging Options
The Best Western - Inn at Hunt Ridge - For reservations call (540) 464-1500. The Inn at Hunt Ridge is a nice hotel a little further from the action, but the accommodations are good.
(DEVELOPING PRESS COVERAGE BELOW:)
Confederate flag flap alive again in Lexington
City council and the Sons of Confederate Veterans locked horns over public displays.
fromROANOKE TIMES
http://www.roanoke.com/news/
By Duncan Adams
981-3324
The Civil War ended in 1865, but a skirmish about the display of the losing side's flags returned Thursday to Lexington, burial ground for both Gen. Robert E. Lee and Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson.
A local group of the Sons of Confederate Veterans wanted to fly Confederate flags from lampposts on downtown streets from Jan. 10 to 15 to celebrate Lee-Jackson Day, a state holiday set for Jan. 14.
Lexington City Council weighed the request Thursday night and voted unanimously in favor of a different plan.
The council's response stirred a vigorous protest from Brandon Dorsey, the commander for Camp 1296 of the Stonewall Brigade of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. He said city officials continue to demonstrate "a longtime antagonism against" public display of symbols of the Confederacy. Camp 1296 has about 60 to 70 members, Dorsey said.
Specifically, the council ruled Thursday that the flags requested by the camp can fly from Jan. 10 to Jan. 13 but not on Jan. 14 or 15 -- when flags of the United States and Virginia will line the streets for Lee-Jackson Day on Friday and the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday Monday.
The brigade plans to fly three flags, Dorsey said, including the Second National Confederate Flag, Lee's Headquarters Flag and a period state flag. He said the camp, as a gesture of good will, did not ask to fly the Confederate Battle Flag, which seems to stir the strongest negative reactions.
Dorsey's reaction to the council's alternative plan included a charge that officials continue to exhibit "prejudice against the flying of Confederate flags." He described the council's response as a cagey way to skirt a permanent federal injunction issued in 1993 that prohibits the city from denying the rights of individuals or groups to display Confederate flags.
In a memo dated Nov. 23, City Attorney Laurence Mann warned the council that the brigade's request "will generate some conflict" because of the 1993 case.
But Lexington Mayor Mimi Elrod said Friday the council's decision followed a standing, if apparently unwritten, policy about flying state and U.S. flags on state and federal holidays.
"We're aware of our duties under the injunction, but we have not discriminated against the symbols of the Confederacy," Elrod said.
Mann told the council he had not found a record of formal action on a flag policy. But he said it appears there was informal approval at some time of flying only state and U.S. flags on state and federal holidays.
City Manager Jon Ellestad said he believes the policy has been in effect "since around 2002."
Dorsey said the brigade suggested a compromise Thursday that would have allowed weekend placement of Confederate flags only in the first couple of blocks leading from the cemetery where Jackson is buried. He said the council rejected that alternative.
Elrod declined to comment when asked whether officials worried that prominently flying the flags of the Confederacy from lampposts on downtown streets might reflect poorly on the city.
She said the council's decision was not motivated by "feelings of discrimination or hostility."
Elrod said the city has allowed Washington and Lee University and the Virginia Military Institute to fly school flags downtown on occasion but that both also have been precluded from displaying them along city streets on state and federal holidays.
The Rev. Rayfield Vines, president of the Virginia State Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said he believes the city council acted appropriately by limiting the prominent public display of Confederate flags to the days preceding Lee-Jackson Day and the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
"There are certain symbols that bring back divisiveness," Vines said. "We have enough things to divide us. We need things to bring us together."
The flags of the Confederacy remind many of old wounds, he said.
Dorsey disagreed. And he said those who contend the flags represent hate and racism are misinformed.
Instead, he said, they represent sacrifice, heritage and history, including family history.
"We're a history group," Dorsey said. "We're all de-scendants of the soldiers who fought this war. Our ances- tors bled and died for this state, at its request, and ought to be remembered and honored."
He said Lexington's demographics have changed and that the city's politics lean now toward "progressive, Democratic, liberal." He suggested many tourists who visit Lexington are drawn by its rich Civil War history.
The brigade will fly the flags on the days specified by the council, Dorsey said. He is not sure how many flags will be displayed along downtown streets but believes there are more than 70 brackets available.
Dorsey said the Sons of Confederate Veterans might file another lawsuit against the city.
______________________________
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Stonewall Brigade Camp #1296
SONS OF CONFEDERATE VETERANS December 03, 2010
On December 02, 2010 The Stonewall Brigade Camp SCV made a formal request to the City of Lexington for the placement of period specific flags for the upcoming Lee-Jackson Day state holiday and for the memorial services and parade the camp hosts in the city. The flags requested were Robert E. Lee’s Headquarters Flag, Second National Confederate Flag (aka Stainless Banner), and period Virginia State Flags. The time frame requested was from Monday, January 10 through Saturday, January 15. City Council denied the request upon the advice of the City Manager, Jon Ellestad. The stated reason was that the request conflicted with the city’s plans to fly US flags beginning Friday, January 14.
The city is under a permanent Federal injunction preventing it from discriminating against the symbols of the Confederacy and SCV as the result of a 1993 lawsuit brought by the ACLU. The city attorney cautioned in a memo, that as other groups have been allowed to fly flags for specific events, a denial of the SCV request would be in violation of the injunction which could result in monetary damages.
The city council made a legal maneuver and proceeded to approve the flying of the Confederate flags on Monday thru Thursday, but refused all offered compromises from The Stonewall Brigade SCV to allow at least a few flags in a very narrow corridor to fly in honor of Robert E. Lee and “Stonewall” Jackson in their last home and final resting place on the state holiday and for the Lee-Jackson Day events sponsored by The Stonewall Brigade on Saturday.
Several statements were made in writing and at the meeting which indicated that the intent of the city’s action was not to uphold the city’s policy, but was rather a careful exhibition of prejudice against the flying of Confederate flags in place of what was termed “American” flags. Had the city completely denied the request, The Stonewall Brigade would have immediately filed a lawsuit on the grounds that the city violated the Federal injunction.
The Stonewall Brigade SCV will fly the flags on the approved dates, but will seek to bring this matter to litigation because we believe the city has a long history of seeking to deny us our rights, and now seeks to hide its prejudices behind an informal and apparently unadopted flag policy. The Stonewall Brigade requested a copy of this policy, should it exist, in November, but did not receive a copy.
For additional information and copies of documents contact:
Brandon Dorsey
540-461-0389
sbcamp1296@comcast.net
Via Nancy
"informal approval at some time of flying only state and U.S. flags on state and federal holidays."
ReplyDeleteBut if the Mexicans or Puerto Ricans or Italian or any other foreign flag were to rise on these days, would they be allowed to fly?
Can you say "Discrimination?"
With a capital D!
ReplyDelete