Who would have thought the revolution would be spearheaded by a local government bureaucrat in middle Georgia? Dee Clemmons, that’s who.

Dee Clemmons, a County Commissioner in Henry County, Georgia, is yet another example of Black women leading the resistance against white supremacy and revisionist history. While the removal of Confederate statues in New Orleans has made national news, Clemmons was making local news and racists angry.

Clemmons requested that a Confederate museum, Nash Farm Battlefield Museum, located on government property remove its Confederate flags, citing citizens’ complaints. The removal request included a large flag flying alongside the Georgia flag and the United States flag and all flags located within the museum and gift shop.

Nash Farm Battlefield Museum glorifies the Confederate Army, a group of men committing treason all in the name of continuing chattel slavery. The museum’s website paints Confederate Generals as if they were protagonists in an action packed summer blockbuster and not criminal, deeply depraved individuals.

“[Sherman] ordered nearly his whole army from its base on the Chattahoochee River around to the west and south to cut the railroad lines and accomplish his objective.”

In response to Clemmons’ request, the museum decided to close permanently.

“To exclude any Confederate flag would mean the historical value has been taken from our exhibits, and a fair interpretation could not be presented to each guest,” a post from the museum’s Facebook page read. “Confederate flags were on this hallowed ground, as were the Union flags. To remove either of them would be a dishonor.”

A spokesperson for the county reiterated that Clemmons’ request was focused solely on the flags’ removal and not a request for the museum to shut down.

On a television interview, the museum operator lamented that he was tired of having to be “politically correct” and he was happy to “have his weekends back.”

So in a way, everybody wins. People of color don’t have to be reminded that they were (and still are treated like) second class citizens, and racists get to partake in leisurely weekend activities.

Black Katie

Writing since April 2017 · 2 stories contributed