The state of Georgia has once again showed its racial insensitivity. The Georgia Department of Motor Vehicles now offers a license plate featuring the Confederate flag. This flag is sponsored through the Sons of Confederate Veterans, which is a southern regional organization. The new tag has reignited a debate about whether the confederate flag honors a heritage or honors racism as a symbol of oppression. Southern Christian Leadership Council (SCLC) Maynard Eaton stated. “To display this is reprehensible; we don’t have license plates saying ‘Black Power.”
The new license plate design features the Confederate flag with a smaller logo for the Sons of Confederate Veterans. Ray McBerry, a spokesman for the Sons of Confederate Veterans issued the following statement “We believe that everyone has the right to preserve their heritage, Southerners have as much right to be proud of their heritage as anybody else.” Georgia has no set criteria for issuing special plates other than the design can’t violate copyright laws according to the DMV. The move even surprised Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal who stated “I had no information in advance about it.”
Other southern states have tags that feature the confederate flag include North Carolina, Alabama and Mississippi. Texas however has not issued a confederate plate because the state felt it would be insensitive. The Sons of Confederate Veterans have sued the state of Texas and the lawsuit is currently pending.
