From the Take Down the Courthouse Flag in Walton County Facebook page.
Thank you Reverend Moore.
A letter to the Walton County County Commissioners from The Rev. Michael Moore, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in DeFuniak Springs
Dear County Commissioners:
I am writing to you as a citizen of Walton County, a retired AF Chaplain, and pastor of First Presbyterian Church in DeFuniak Springs. Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend the County Commissioner's meeting on 28 July due to a scheduling conflict. However, I want to register my thoughts with you prior to your meeting and vote.
First and foremost, "that" flag needs to come down. The flag in its historical context was originally the battle flag of the Army of Tennessee. It was NEVER a flag of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War. Unless a Walton county soldier fought with the Army of Tennessee or the 6th Florida Regiment (Volunteers), this was not a flag they followed into battle. I also find it ironic that people have forgotten that it was two representatives from Walton County who voted against secession. From my studies, it wasn't until the Asboth Raid in 1864 that sentiments finally tipped against the union in Walton County.
The ONLY reason it flies on County property today is because in April of 1964, the County petitioned the Florida Park Board to erect a historical plaque on the courthouse lawn next to the monument AND to erect the "flag". What was happening at that time? Integration... Civil Rights... Voting Rights for African-Americans... who had appropriated that flag for their use and purposes? The KKK. How does a flag which they never fought under have anything to do with honoring the memory of the Confederate dead from Walton County? It doesn't have anything to do with honoring their memory.
This past January, I had the honor of participating in the dedication of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Highway in DeFuniak Springs. I also had the honor of delivering the Opening Prayer at the MLK, Jr. observance that afternoon. As I faced the sign and listened to the speakers, my stomach turned as I looked over their shoulders and saw that "flag" flying in plain view. That flag which had been used to beat down Dr. King and countless thousands of others who fought for equal rights for African-American citizens in a time and place where there were separate water fountains, separate bathrooms, swimming pools cemented in to prevent non-whites from swimming, and lakes closed so they wouldn't be forced to integrate swimming. That is what "that" flag represents!
To listen to the hate-filled language being spewed from all corners of Walton County by people who say the flag is about "heritage" and yet essentially say if you don't like our heritage, go home, makes me ill. Walton County isn't just their home. It is home for all residents regardless of color, creed, religion, or nation of origin. What that sort of language reveals to me is both an ignorance of history AND racism that is alive and well today.
Even though these words from Romans 14:13 originally concerned eating meat sacrificed to idols, they ring true for us today in this situation. "Let us therefore no longer pass judgment on one another, but resolve instead never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of another." This flag obviously is a stumbling block for many residents of Walton County, including me. It does not represent heritage, it represents lynchings and beatings... it represents fear tactics used to keep a people oppressed long after slavery was abolished.
In closing, I urge you! Be courageous! Do the right thing! That flag belongs nowhere in Walton county, but especially not on County property! Encase the actual battle flags of those veterans who fought for the South and place them in a museum. Think about your constituents who are deeply troubled by that flag flying in plain site as they remember their own ancestors who were slaves. Take down the symbol which has been appropriated by hate groups who have also hijacked the cross from Christians and burned it as a sign of fear and hatred.
--
Respectfully,
Michael A. Moore
Ch, Lt Col, USAF (ret)
Pastor, First Presbyterian Church
DeFuniak Springs, FL
Thank you Reverend Moore.
A letter to the Walton County County Commissioners from The Rev. Michael Moore, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in DeFuniak Springs
Dear County Commissioners:
I am writing to you as a citizen of Walton County, a retired AF Chaplain, and pastor of First Presbyterian Church in DeFuniak Springs. Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend the County Commissioner's meeting on 28 July due to a scheduling conflict. However, I want to register my thoughts with you prior to your meeting and vote.
First and foremost, "that" flag needs to come down. The flag in its historical context was originally the battle flag of the Army of Tennessee. It was NEVER a flag of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War. Unless a Walton county soldier fought with the Army of Tennessee or the 6th Florida Regiment (Volunteers), this was not a flag they followed into battle. I also find it ironic that people have forgotten that it was two representatives from Walton County who voted against secession. From my studies, it wasn't until the Asboth Raid in 1864 that sentiments finally tipped against the union in Walton County.
The ONLY reason it flies on County property today is because in April of 1964, the County petitioned the Florida Park Board to erect a historical plaque on the courthouse lawn next to the monument AND to erect the "flag". What was happening at that time? Integration... Civil Rights... Voting Rights for African-Americans... who had appropriated that flag for their use and purposes? The KKK. How does a flag which they never fought under have anything to do with honoring the memory of the Confederate dead from Walton County? It doesn't have anything to do with honoring their memory.
This past January, I had the honor of participating in the dedication of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Highway in DeFuniak Springs. I also had the honor of delivering the Opening Prayer at the MLK, Jr. observance that afternoon. As I faced the sign and listened to the speakers, my stomach turned as I looked over their shoulders and saw that "flag" flying in plain view. That flag which had been used to beat down Dr. King and countless thousands of others who fought for equal rights for African-American citizens in a time and place where there were separate water fountains, separate bathrooms, swimming pools cemented in to prevent non-whites from swimming, and lakes closed so they wouldn't be forced to integrate swimming. That is what "that" flag represents!
To listen to the hate-filled language being spewed from all corners of Walton County by people who say the flag is about "heritage" and yet essentially say if you don't like our heritage, go home, makes me ill. Walton County isn't just their home. It is home for all residents regardless of color, creed, religion, or nation of origin. What that sort of language reveals to me is both an ignorance of history AND racism that is alive and well today.
Even though these words from Romans 14:13 originally concerned eating meat sacrificed to idols, they ring true for us today in this situation. "Let us therefore no longer pass judgment on one another, but resolve instead never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of another." This flag obviously is a stumbling block for many residents of Walton County, including me. It does not represent heritage, it represents lynchings and beatings... it represents fear tactics used to keep a people oppressed long after slavery was abolished.
In closing, I urge you! Be courageous! Do the right thing! That flag belongs nowhere in Walton county, but especially not on County property! Encase the actual battle flags of those veterans who fought for the South and place them in a museum. Think about your constituents who are deeply troubled by that flag flying in plain site as they remember their own ancestors who were slaves. Take down the symbol which has been appropriated by hate groups who have also hijacked the cross from Christians and burned it as a sign of fear and hatred.
--
Respectfully,
Michael A. Moore
Ch, Lt Col, USAF (ret)
Pastor, First Presbyterian Church
DeFuniak Springs, FL
