Music for change

State Offices Flying the Confederate Flag
American Friends Service Committee

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JULY 5, 2000
1:39 PM
CONTACT: American Friends Service Committee
Sunanda Ghosh 215/241-7056
AFSC Endorses NAACP’s Sanctions on South Carolina

PHILADELPHIA - July 5 - At its June 25th meeting, the Board of Directors of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) approved a minute which endorses the economic sanctions announced by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) against the state of South Carolina.

The sanctions were adopted to urge the state to remove the Confederate battle flag from all grounds under state sovereignty. A belief in the worth of all people is the foundation of all AFSC program work. AFSC has long worked in communities of great racial and cultural diversity in this country.

The Board united with African Americans who feel that to display this flag which represents oppression is a personal and moral affront to our sense of what is right and just. AFSC is sharing its concern over the issue with all of the officials in the five states involved who have a direct interest in this matter. They include the governors and other state administrative officials and the state offices responsible for tourism and commerce. This minute of concern will also be shared throughout the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers).

The Board of Directors hopes that elected officials in these states will remove the Confederate battle flag from all official positions where it would fly under state sovereignty.