Fayette County debates Confederate holiday

A rally opposing a Confederate Heritage and History proclamation preceded the Fayette County Board of Commissoners meeting on April 24. Jill Howard Church for the AJC

A rally opposing a Confederate Heritage and History proclamation preceded the Fayette County Board of Commissoners meeting on April 24. Jill Howard Church for the AJC

A proclamation to recognize Confederate Heritage and History Month in Fayette County was withdrawn at the Board of Commissioners meeting on April 24, but only after dozens of protesters spoke out against the measure.

A two-hour rally was held outside the county offices before the meeting. The proclamation, submitted and then pulled by the Sons of Confederate Veterans, referenced “preserving the history and legacy of the men and women who both lived and died during the Civil War” but made no mention of slavery.

Although the same proclamation has been signed by a majority of the board in previous years, Chairman Eric Maxwell said the debate “was a process this board needed to go through” before reviewing how future proclamations of all kinds would be handled.