On February 26, 1913, the General Assembly adopted this design as the state’s official flag. Her colleague, Rep. Nicole Clowney, D-Fayetteville, moved to comfort her. Outdoor State Flags. All rights reserved. One of the greatest and most revered individuals in America's history. Write a new paragraph to the statute of what the flag represents and put this whole thing to rest. Mississippi is the only state that currently uses the Confederate battle emblem in its official state flag. But Blake told CNN he didn’t think changing the meaning of a star on the flag amounted to erasing history. Arkansans and travelers alike certainly recognize the stark resemblance between the two flags. Another claimed Confederate descendant, Alexander C. Wilson III, said he had eight relatives fight for the South in the Civil War -- which he referred to as the "War of Southern Independence" -- and said attempts to change the flag's meaning were being driven by "revisionist organizations," though he did not clarify to what groups he was referring. That was the argument offered by Rep. Charles Blake, D-Little Rock, for his bill that would change the meaning behind the star representing the Confederacy on the Arkansas state flag. A star in a prominent place on the state flag, denoting Arkansas' place in the Confederate States of America, doesn't need to be assigned a new meaning, a committee of … Furthermore changing all the history is not going to make the “downtrodden” rise above. "One could argue that the star was not added to the flag to honor the Confederate States of America," Blake said. Alexander C. Wilson III speaks against changing the meaning of a star on the Arkansas flag as the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Charles Blake (left), D-Little Rock, looks on during House committee debate. Arkansas was the third state created from the purchase by the United States, after Louisiana and Missouri. In 1985, when Democrat Bill Clinton was governor, the holiday was combined with one celebrating civil-rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. Arkansas was one of the last states to celebrate a joint Lee-King holiday when the practice was ended by the Legislature in 2017, with the support of Republican Gov. Comments. The star above the word "Arkansas" signifies that Arkansas was part of the Confederacy. In 1912, the Pine Bluff Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution decided to present the newly commissioned battleship USS Arkansas with an official state flag. The state flag of Arkansas is red, white, and blue to signify that Arkansas is one of the United States. House Bill 1487 needed 10 votes to pass out of the 20-member committee. Phil Carlos Wilson took this photo of Claudia Bivins wearing the flag. The ignorance and racism reflected by so many comments here is appalling. Asked to clarify his remarks, Ladyman said, "I had a question. Bill to change symbolism of Arkansas flag fails again; proposals to redesignate star not dead, 2 say by John Moritz | March 21, 2019 at 4:30 a.m. Our Confederate history is history. They described the bill as part of a slippery slope to removing other objects regarding the Confederacy across the state. Change the Arkansas Flag to symbolize the state instead of the Confederacy Arkansas Traveler started this petition to Governor Asa Hutchinson and The Arkansas Flag has more in common with the Battle Flags of the Confederacy than with the state itself. ARKANSAS STATE FLAG. Related Article I do support the Jack Ladyman idea of not putting any indian ideas as to the flag, not because they are not white, but because they fought against US and killed soldiers of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, a most low down dirty heinous act to commit. It would be a bit of a compromise. Education, hard work, staying out of trouble, men and women raising their children (either together or apart) teaching and insuring thatvtheir children are raised to respect. Check flight prices and hotel availability for your visit. LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — Legislation to change the symbolism of a star on the Arkansas state flag is causing controversy at the capitol. CNN Sans ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network. Related Article To correct that, the legislature in 1923 added a fourth blue star above the letter “R” in Arkansas and moved the single blue star to a position above the last “A”. All Rights Reserved. The large star symbolizes the Confederacy. I have also seen black and white people raised in the same situation that just get covered up in the misery, gloom, doom while making every excuse in the world why they can’t recover. The diamond field represents Arkansas as the nation’s only diamond producing state. No statue taken down and no changing words on a flag will fix this issue. It can be taught that if the star is so offensive to the blacks, why did they not back when it was added , object to it? they feel it would be rude to take their sunshine away. In the centre is a white diamond with four blue stars and the name of the state also in blue; surrounding the diamond is a blue band with 25 white stars.In 1911 the Arkansas legislature failed to approve a flag ", [RELATED: Complete Democrat-Gazette coverage of the Arkansas Legislature]. Committee member Jamie Scott (right), D-North Little Rock, tries to hold back her emotions during House committee debate on a bill that would change the meaning of the star above the word “Arkansas” on the state flag. But several other state flags have references that can be traced to the Confederacy, including the state of Georgia, whose flag recalls the original “Stars and Bars” Confederate flag. For example, it was not until 1943 that Arkansas began recognizing the birthday of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. I think we should change the word cow to dog... how does that work. Made to Official State Design Specifications; 100% Heavyweight SolarMax Nylon; I will say that the only thing that has happened with this issue is of the 95% of this state that did not know what that top star represented maybe half of that percentage now knows. "The Quapaws have always been known as diplomatic and friendly," Berrey said. “Someone has to stand up and keep fighting,” he said. LITTLE ROCK, Ark. I don't know the answer." LITTLE ROCK, Ark. Arkansas’ flag features four prominent stars, with three lower stars representing Spain, France, and the United States – three nations to which the territory belonged at different points in its history. The Democratic leader added that he had hoped for support from Hutchinson, in light of the governor's support for ending the joint Lee-King holiday. A bill that would have removed references to the Confederacy in the state statute explaining the meaning of the flag's elements -- and replace them with a commemoration of the state's American Indian tribes -- failed 8-5 in the House State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee. ; OurCornerMarket.com Sales & Promotions - Saturday's OurCornerMarket.com email brings you memorials, address numbers, lawn decor and more. Those who want to change the flag's star meaning just want to take away the great joy of the right to celebrate the shining confederacy ideas of life, liberty [ no blacks allowed] and the pursuit of happiness [ slavemasters pursuit of race mixing], all supported by the speakers of the ancient books. Our Arkansas flags are made with nylon or heavy-duty polyester in a variety of sizes. Rep. Jamie Scott, D-North Little Rock, the only black member of the committee, signaled her intention to speak, but appeared to tear up and ended up not speaking. “I think we’re better than that. ?greater men than any =ANY democrat ever,,,,Lee NEVER RECEIVED one demerit at West Point- he is the only one ever,,,the left is a SNOWFLAKE laden, band of hate-filled-virtue signalers , that hate the truth and believe and worship lies,,and when they respond to a measured and accurate essay like this , they say something completely stupid ,,,,THE RIGHT IS ALWAYS RIGHT, THE LEFT IS NEVER RIGHT. I will pay for a one-way bus ticket to California for MRCHARLES and FOGHORN if they pledge never to return. FlagandBanner.com Sales & Promotions - Check your inbox each Tuesday for that week's sales promotions and get a sale reminder email on Saturday. Debate over the bill, which lasted about 45 minutes, grew emotional for several Democrats. Asa Hutchinson told The Associated Press on Monday, March 4, 2019 that he'd support the proposal to change state law regarding Arkansas' flag if it comes up again during the legislative session. Blake, who is now the Democratic minority leader, joined the Arkansas House of Representatives in 2015. Get directions, maps, and traffic for Flag, AR. Arkansas State Flag. Arkansas State Flag was adopted in 1913, the Arkansas flag features 25 white stars to show that Arkansas was the 25th state admitted to the United States . Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. "The star, in context of the time of 1924 and that period, was added to add presence and prominence of white supremacy in the state of Arkansas. John Berrey, the chairman of the Quapaw Nation of Oklahoma, said the remark was inaccurate, at least pertaining to the Quapaws. (. Some lawmakers who opposed the measure felt it was part of a slippery slope leading to more efforts to erase portions of the state’s history. If Scott is going bawl like a little kid she has no business representing anyone! - The blue star above the word "Arkansas" on the state flag represents the state's membership in the Confederacy. AR Version of CSA Statement Flag. The four blue stars portray the change of land ownership by four different countries. And that high crime is in the black communities. Mainly what we have here is a failure to communicate to the black youth of arkansas the meaning of the star. image by Randy Young, 22 January 2016 . © 2020 Cable News Network. 4 x 6' Arkansas Flag and Mounting Set: Annin: $178.90: Flag Store USA's state flags let you display your pride in your home state with a flag proudly made in the U.S.A. Just click on the button above to get your design on! I know black and white people that grew up with nothing but they had that intestinal fortitude to be better and make a better life for themselves while never making excuses. Three stars represent Spain, France, United States. Also they should know that while we appreciate their contribution to our feetball and basketball teams, this star is our culture of white arkies and it would be to their benefit to not rock the boat. CNN has reached out to two representatives on the committee who opposed the bill. As the committee adjourned and its members filed out of the room, another lawmaker who is on the panel, Rep. Jack Ladyman, R-Jonesboro, could be heard remarking about "Indians" to a colleague. As to the height of the power of the KKK, remember they were not only against blacks, but jews [ all you have to do is read the wisdom of St Saul to see this justification] and papist [ many say the organization of the whore of babylon] . Ladyman asked, standing just in front of a reporter. All those who oppose this bill are ignorant, racist morons, plain and simple. Judge overturns Alabama law protecting Confederate monuments, And another citizen opposed to the bill said his he had eight relatives who fought for the Confederacy and that he felt the effort to change the meaning of the flag was spearheaded by “revisionist organizations.”. It would be silly to give indians any claim to being arkansans. Wesley Hitt/Getty Images North America/Getty Images, PHOTO: The ignorance and racism reflected by those who voted against this bill is appalling, but evidently in support of their constituents’ appalling ignorance and racism. Republicans on the committee, joined by a contingent of men who identified themselves as descendants of Confederate veterans, questioned the motivations of the bill's sponsor, Rep. Charles Blake, D-Little Rock. Blake said that since the flag bill failed Wednesday he has been “getting a lot of contacts of people saying they were embarrassed. FILE - In this Feb. 1, 2011 file photo, an American and Arkansas flag blow in the wind as snow falls in Fayetteville, Ark. Then the flag should be lowered slowly. Since they hate our state of Arkansas soooooo much, they should jump at my offer. These fights take time. What a load of trash. When the flag is removed from the pole, the blue diamond field should be cut away from the red field. These hangers on are a pox on our great democracy right now as they can’t understand current issues and live in the past. Customization pricing differs from stock pricing shown on this page. The twenty-five white stars that border the state’s name indicate its order of admission to the union. Retirement Ceremony Suggested By The Ouachita Chapter of the Girl Scouts of America At a final ceremony the worn Arkansas Flag should be raised briskly to the top of the flagpole, followed by the pledge. And these people get paid to do this ... what a waste of time energy and money. If an account exists, we've sent an email with a link to reset your password. PHOTO: How do you change the meaning of something that is still the same. The large diamond represents the only diamond producing state in the USA - Arkansas. "We're putting them on the flag after they fought against us?" Opponents believed that the changes destroyed the meaning of the flag design. The first major piece of legislation he championed was a bill to remove a holiday commemorating the life of Confederate general Robert E. Lee, which was celebrated on the same day as Martin Luther King Day. If Blake wants to do something constructive he could work to remove Little Rock from being #2 on a list of cities that are not where you want to live due to high crime. Blake said he pushed three times that year, unsuccessfully, to strip Lee from the holiday, but the effort caught the eye of Republican Gov. Just one Republican joined the four Democrats in backing the measure, but there were seven abstentions. The changes in the flag design caused a lot of controversy. Lawmakers in Arkansas voted down a bill that would have removed Confederate symbolism from the state’s flag. (AP) — An Arkansas House panel on Wednesday rejected for a second time a proposal to change the meaning of a star on the state’s flag that represents the Confederacy, despite an endorsement from the Republican governor. The adoption of other honors to the Confederacy during the 20th century has similarly stirred criticism in recent years, along with a counterargument from those who say Arkansas' participation in the secession of slave-holding states is part of history. A Warner Media Company. 5:26 PM EST, Thu February 28, 2019, PHOTO: Arkansas State flags. The Quapaw Nation, one of three tribes that would be honored by name under HB1487, has come out in support of changing the star's meaning. During the committee hearing, Rep. Bruce Bruce Cozart asked, “What’s next after this?” the Democrat-Gazette reported. Arkansas may not be for everyone ( raving, ranting "usual suspects" ) but for the VAST MAJORITY of us it is........ Good riddance to a useless, meaningless, and wasteful bill with the sole purpose of dividing the races..Robert E Lee of Old Virginia. A number of states continue to incorporate Confederate symbolism into their flag. Charles Blake was grandstanding and race baiting with the star issue. Thomas Metthe, Gallery: Arkansas General Assembly Day 45. After these changes were made, the flag was officially adopted by Arkansas state legislature on February 26th, 1913. To complete your CNN profile and ensure you are able to receive important account information, please verify your email address. Globally, we are embarrassed. 25 white stars show Arkansas as the 25th state to join the Union. Ten years later, Arkansas legislature decided to change the flag just a bit and added a fourth star to the middle of the diamond. Mississippi is the only diamond producing state the other tribes that would be silly to give remarks the! 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