RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A Confederate battle flag hung inside the old North Carolina State Capitol to mark the sesquicentennial of the Civil War is raising concern with civil rights leaders.
State Historic Sites Director Keith Hardison says the flag raised last week inside the House chamber is part of a historical display replicating how the antebellum building appeared in 1863. Hardison says the flag should be viewed in its historical context and shouldn’t be offensive.
North Carolina NAACP president Rev. William Barber disagreed. He says that flag represents Jim Crow, the Ku Klux Klan and lynchings.
Sessions of the General Assembly moved to a newer building 50 years ago, but the old capitol still hosts official events. Gov. Pat McCrory has an office on the first floor.
