At a recent Donald Trump rally, a Confederate flag was flown during the car parade. This sparked concerns among some of the community. One letter began with, “Last weekend, right-wing extremists in our community hosted a Trump rally where Confederate flags were flown.” Since (those who objected) failed to ask the Trump rally organizers what happened, I will explain. ONE Confederate flag was flown by a gentleman Trumper who is a fan of the show, “Dukes of Hazzard.” The 1979 show featured a Confederate flag painted on the roof of an orange Dodge Charger. This gentleman Trumper wanted to drive like Bo and Luke Duke. This gentleman Trumper admitted he was not deeply political and was unaware of any controversies around the Confederate flag. This gentleman Trumper stated he was not racist. He is married to his beautiful Hispanic wife and has a son. He loves his family and deeply embraces his family’s Hispanic culture. He is sorry for all this trouble and is deeply saddened by the negative response of the community.  So what is the history of the Confederate flag and why is it controversial? The 1861 Civil War started after the election of Abraham Lincoln and birth of the Republican Party. A total of 11 southern Democratic states seceded from the Union northern territory and formed the Confederate States of America. The Democratic party, founded in 1828, favored slavery within all territories in the southern states. In 1865 the Civil War ended and the first Republican President Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves. Although the Confederate flag was never an official flag of the southern Confederacy, it was the battle flag of Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Army of North Virginia and became associated with the Southern Democratic states after they lost the war. In 1865, the Ku Klux Klan was formed by several Democratic ex-Confederate soldiers in resistance to the Republicans’ reconstruction era aiming to establish equality for Black Americans. Although the Confederate flag was not officially adopted by the KKK, it had been used periodically for events. Although the Confederate flag may be associated with slavery and the KKK, the Confederate flag has different meanings to different people and organizations. Sons of Confederate Veterans is an organization that still uses the Confederate flag to commemorate and defend the southern soldiers who served and died in the south. H.K. Edgerton, former president of the Asheville chapter of the NAACP, refers to himself as an African American and defender of the neo-Confederate movement and believes in the historical preservation of the Confederate heritage community.  Nancy Fairbanks Valencia The post Nancy Fairbanks | On the Confederate Flag appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.