BILOXI, Mississippi — A Mississippi proposal to issue a state license plate honoring a Confederate general believed to be a Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan has stirred protest and resurrected the state's ugly racial past.
The Sons of Confederate Veterans proposed that Mississippi issue a specialty plate honoring General Nathan Bedford Forrest, who many historians say was the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, the white supremacist group that terrorized blacks in the South after the Civil War.
Forrest is the only individual they want to commemorate. All the other plates would be in remembrance of battles that took place in Mississippi or Confederate veterans as a whole.
The proposal must be approved by the state legislature and signed by Gov. Haley Barbour.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) sent a letter to Barbour on Friday saying it would be immoral and unconstitutional to honor a KKK leader.
"We are asking the governor to stop this action immediately. Every fair-minded southerner knows that the Civil War was a negative time in history and having a Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan on the back of vehicles will only tarnish the state's image," NAACP state president Derrick Johnson said.
The KKK was a secret racist group active after the Civil War and well into the 20th century. Wearing White robes and masks, KKK mobs sometimes lynched blacks without trial.
This license plate controversy comes just months after Barbour, a Republican, told a weekly magazine that he does not remember the 1960s civil rights struggle in his hometown in Yazoo City as being "that bad." Barbour later clarified that he had not intended to condone segregation in the South.
Sons of Confederate Veterans, an organization that honors Confederate heritage, wants the state to issue the series of license plates to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.
Mississippi Democratic Rep. Willie Bailey, who handles license plate requests in the state House, said he has no problem with the organization creating any design it wants.
"If they want a tag commemorating veterans of the Confederacy, I don't have a problem with it," said Bailey, who is black. "As long as it's not offensive to anybody, then they have the same rights as anybody else has."
Mississippi has allowed over 100 different specialty license plates, which range from the innocuous -- such as wildlife conservation and NASCAR auto racing -- to more controversial such as one opposing abortion. Specialty plates are available to anyone in the state, usually for a fee of $30 to $50 per year. All designs have to be approved by the state government.
13 comments:
I do not believe it is unconstitutional to put out these license plate as there is no direct proof that the general was a leader of the kkk, but i believe the state should have the respect to not put these plates in effect out of respects for the fair amount of people that do take it in a negative connotation. Even though i do not believe it is unconstitutional, I do believe it could be argued. Why would the state intentionally disrespect citizens when they could just not authorize the plates and make a few rednecks angry because they can't have their beloved confederate general on their diesel truck.
The Sons of Confederate Veterans should be allowed to produce the plate of General Forrest because the plate itself is to commemorate the Civil War and because there have been other controversial plates in the past. However, in order to prevent all the feelings of segregation and racial hatred from emerging again, it would be better if the Sons of Confederate Veterans stuck to makin plates only over the battles instead of a general who is also a Grand Wizard of the KKK.
I think this proposal was not a good idea because of the controversies it has brought up. This article talks about the people who are against the idea of proposing the license plate honoring the confederate general, but I would also want to here more from the side of the people who are for the license plate. I personally think approving the license plate will create more problems with the people who are against this. It will cause a separation between the people who are against and for the license plate honoring the confederate general. "We are asking the governor to stop this action immediately. Every fair-minded southerner knows that the Civil War was a negative time in history and having a Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan on the back of vehicles will only tarnish the state's image," NAACP state president Derrick Johnson said. I agree with Johnson and I believe that approving the license plate will have too many negative effects because of the people who are strongly against the idea.
I agree with Willie Bailey that if the licence plate isn't offensive, it should be allowed. I do not, however, believe that the first Grand Wizard of the KKK(as agreed upon by many historians) deserves to be commemorated. That would be similar, if not as extreme, as commemorating Hitler, the orchestrator of the Holocaust.
The fact that people in Mississippi what to honor a KKK leader is kind of scary in the whole world picture. Its sad but true that racism is still very strong in the nation. I believe that the licenses plates are a form of freedom of speech so technically it okay but personally i think its crazy. Its a shame that the people in America haven't come far at all sense the Civil War. On a side note i think they should go through with the other licenses plates and honor the veterans.
I also believe that as long as it isn't offensive, they have the freedom to do whatever they want concerning the license plate. If the license plate was honoring the KKK then that would be a different story. But just because the guy was believed to be a part of the KKK, doesn't mean that he wasn't part of the Confederacy either and that's what they want to honor.
I have a feeling this turned into a far bigger problem then it should have. I guess I can see as to where their might have been some concern for racism, though if the license plate is meant to just honor a veteran I dont see how this became such a hot topic. Of course the kkk were bad, in most historical texts they are portreyed as unjust and monsterous, but isnt banning the right to honor a war veteran because of his so called past just as negative as racism. I dont know, I am sort of swayed on the topic because I am very much opposed to racism; but I am very confused as to why the license plates were such a big deal if they were in simple honor and they wernt broadcasting a slogan against certain races. To me it just seems, well, silly.
I have a feeling this turned into a far bigger problem then it should have. I guess I can see as to where their might have been some concern for racism, though if the license plate is meant to just honor a veteran I dont see how this became such a hot topic. Of course the kkk were bad, in most historical texts they are portreyed as unjust and monsterous, but isnt banning the right to honor a war veteran because of his so called past just as negative as racism. I dont know, I am sort of swayed on the topic because I am very much opposed to racism; but I am very confused as to why the license plates were such a big deal if they were in simple honor and they wernt broadcasting a slogan against certain races. To me it just seems, well, silly.
The license plates are not being made to honor members of the KKK, but the veterans of the Confederate army during the Civil War. Even if Nathan Bedford Forrest was a member of the KKK, he is being remembered for fighting for our country.
I think personally that it is immoral and disrespectful to have a specialty plate made for a KKK leader and is demeaning towards African Americans and will bring a bad light to the state of Mississippi. However, people have the right to commemorate whoever they want to, and if thats what certain people want to do then they can do whatever they want
It seems a little odd that a state would be willing to put someone who stirs up even the smallest amount of controversy on a license plate. The general might have done some great things, but there is always going to be someone who is offended by the thought of him representing thier state and I dont think it should be approved.
Getting these specialty license plates has no win or lose situation. I understand that veterans want to commemorate a Confederate general, but at the same time he was said to be a "Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan." This issue upsets many people, specifically black, simply because the ku klux klan mainly terrorized them after the Civil War. However, those that argue to not allow this liscence plate can not have special treatment. By that I mean that there were liscence plates that deal with abortion and those had passed. Abortion has started to become more of an issue to people, so I think that if that has been passed then allowing the commemoration of the Confederate general should pass as well. Personally, I don't like the idea of people having the name of a KKK leader on the back of their vehicle, but then again I'm just one person and I don't even live in Mississippi too.
I think that if historians can really prove that this guy really was a head dude of the kkk, they shouldn't allow the plates to be made. Or they should allow them to be made, then up the prices on that particular license plate to like $1,000. That way, you can tell who is really a dedicated, flaming racist just by looking at the back of the car they drive.
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