The culprits should be shot at dawn.
We find it completely unacceptable that
the flags that have flown in honor and sacred memory of Robert E. Lee
since 1930 were stripped from this chamber, for NO OTHER REASON than to
cater to the extortion-like "demands" of a half dozen students.
Once again, we want to thank each
and every one of you who have made phone calls, sent emails, and mailed
letters since we first forwarded the contact information last week. We
understand from our sources that phones were tied up and emails were
filled with messages voicing disgust and outrage with the actions of
officials at Washington & LEE University.
Starting tomorrow morning, we are going to ask you to switch gears and contact these folks:
Alumni Affairs Staff
Waller (Beau) T. Dudley
Executive Director of Alumni Affairs
wdudley@wlu.edu
Thomas D. Lovell
tdlovell@wlu.edu
Associate Director of Alumni Affairs
Mary Webster
Assistant Director for Engagement
mwebster@wlu.edu
Washington and Lee University
Office of Alumni Affairs
Lexington, Virginia 24450
(540) 458-8468
Please
contact these folks and let them know that the removal of the flags
from the chamber of the Lee Chapel was unacceptable and must be
corrected immediately. These contacts are particularly important to
share with anyone who is an alumnus or has alumni contacts. We must let
them know we will stand united and end ALL support until the flags are
returned.
If,
for some reason, you have yet to contact the President and staff, we
have included the original contact request information at the bottom of
this email.
Many of you have asked
repeatedly about when we are going
to "March on Washington & Lee" and start flagging them. Most
people see this outward expression of what we do, and may not realize
that
it is a powerful tool, but one that is typically held in our arsenal
and used when all other efforts are exhausted. We contacted the
W&L administration in April, when news of "The Committee's" demands
first surfaced, and have been collecting information and investigating
the situation ever since.
Of course, the actual removal last
week has kicked our efforts into overdrive. We have contacted W&L
officials again, and our next communication will let them know that if
the flags are not returned by our deadline, flaggings will begin. In
the meantime, we are making trips to Lexington to scout the area,
investigate all pertinent laws and regulations, and preparing literature
and talking points so that our Flaggers, and those who join us, have
everything needed to be successful. We never step onto the sidewalk
until we have covered all of our bases and have all needed resources
lined up and available. Everything from parking, to bathroom
accessibility is covered.
While we expect to begin scheduling
flaggings within the next few weeks, IF the flags are not returned, our
main
push will come in September, once students are back on campus. We
realize full well that the announcement of the flag removal in July,
while students were on summer break, was very much by design. We have
been contacted by and are in communication with students who are ready
to join us in these
protests, and whose presence will be a huge boost to our efforts.
Student move-in dates, Parents' weekends, home football games, and other
high profile events will be the targets of our activity. We are
organizing now and are looking for anyone who is willing to join us,
especially those in the Lexington area, to contact us for more
details.
Misc:
Stay tuned for more updates and information, as we have much more to
share... and please continue to forward these emails to everyone on
your contact list. We must keep
the skeer on through phone calls, emails, and letters...and have flags
ready for the call...it's coming soon!
RETURN the flags!
RESTORE the honor!
Grayson Jennings
Virginia Flaggers
P.O. Box 547
Sandston VA 23150
info@vaflaggers.com
