A Discussion on the Confederate Flag in the 21st Century.
Audio here!
The state of South Carolina has taken a positive step towards combating discrimination as state representatives came together to remove the Confederate flag from the State House lawn. But other potentially discriminatory practices, such as voter ID laws and South Carolina’s constitutional prohibition on non-theists holding public office, remain intact.
On this weeks program, Matthew LaClair speaks with two members of the house of representatives: “white” Republican Jenny Horne and “black” Democrat Joseph Neal, who came together on the issue of the Confederate flag while disagreeing vehemently on related issues such as the voter ID laws.
You may recognize Rep. Horne from the passionate speech she delivered on the floor of the house on the Confederate flag issue. We will ask her about this speech, her views on the Confederate flag — both before and after the shooting in Charleston, SC — her justification for passing a voter ID law that was proposed just a few weeks after the first black president was sworn into office, and her views on the South Carolina constitution.
Rev. Neal was chairman of the South Carolina Black Legislative Caucus back in 2000, when citizens gathered before the State House demanding that the Confederate flag be removed from the State House dome. The decision to remove it from the dome to a flag pole out front was challenged by Neal and the Black legislative caucus, where it remained until last month. We will discuss this experience with Rev. Neal and asks him about the walkout staged by the 2009 Legislative Black Caucus in opposition to the voter ID bill.
Tune in this Saturday at 2PM on WBAI 99.5FM for this exciting discussion, and be sure to join us for our post-show discussion with Professor Orville Vernon Burton, who delivered expert testimony on behalf of the Department of Justice on the issue of South Carolina’s voter ID bill. Visit matthewlaclair.com to listen to our conversation and learn about the legislative history of the voter ID laws, as well as his take on our program with Ms. Horne and Rev. Neal.