The Daughters of the Confederacy Spoil Christmas Again – but Public Officials Instead Blame ‘Outside Agitators’
For several years, the town of Garner, North Carolina, has held a Christmas parade featuring—along with traditional marching bands, dance troupes and local politicians—floats sponsored by the United Daughters of the Confederacy and the Sons of Confederate Veterans. The same is true of the nearby town of Wake Forest, where for more than two decades, SCV and UDC members in grey Civil War uniforms and antebellum hoop skirts have marched along the Christmas parade route while waving Confederate flags.
That tradition was suddenly halted this year, after the activist group Move Silent Sam posted video and photos of the neo-Confederate groups in past parades, along with the question: “Is the Town of Garner trying to send the message that racism is welcome in the community?”
The answer is “yes.” Both towns have cancelled their parades, while making clear that their problem is with “outside agitators” ruining Christmas—not with the Lost Cause loyalists who are part of their Christmas traditions.