Southern Discomfort Over Flag Dispute

At least 90 groups have canceled meetings, reunions and conventions in South Carolina to protest the continued presence of the Confederate flag atop the state capitol in Columbia.

The NAACP is leading the boycott against the hospitality industry, a $14-billion concern in the state, the only one that still flies the Confederate flag at its capitol.

A tourism boycott “will not bring us to our knees, but it certainly is a kick in the shins,” said Lou Fontana, the director of communications and corporate affairs for the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism. Fontana could not say how much the state and cities have lost in revenue. Among the groups that have pulled out are the National Urban League, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the Assn. of State Democratic Chairs and the National Council of Negro Women.

But James Gallman, the president of the state NAACP, which sponsored an anti-flag rally last week that attracted 46,000 to the capital, thinks the effect is significant. “If you talk to tourism folks, they will tell you that it has been a dramatic impact, and it’s not just necessarily the large groups--it’s the family reunions and groups like that aren’t coming,” Gallman said.

Gov. Jim Hodges (D) supports a compromise that would remove the flag from the dome but place it somewhere acceptable to both sides. The NAACP supports placing the flag in a “historic context,” such as a museum, Gallman said.

The dispute can be resolved only by a vote of the Legislature, which is discussing the issue.