Where You Can Find Confederate Flag Flying in Virginia

The flying of the Confederate battle flag has been controversial over the years, and it continues to affect the Southern states, including Virginia. There are still a few places where you can see the Confederate flag flying in the state.

More than 150 people in Virginia Beach gathered to wave their Confederate flags and sport Confederate T-shirts during a July 2015 rally. It was a response to the growing demand to remove the flag from public displays following the tragic massacre in Charleston, South Carolina, where nine African-Americans were killed by a white gunman who allegedly wanted to start a race war.

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The gathering appeared to be more of a celebration than a demonstration, according to The Virginian-Pilot. People played guitars, met with friends and maintained they were celebrating the flag’s history and heritage, not racism. The revelers later moved on to Richmond to continue the party albeit in pouring rain, according to WHSV 3.

Virginia residents had been able to get a customized license plate sporting the Confederate battle flag. Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe said he planned to phase out the plates sponsored by the state that included an image of the Confederate flag, The Washington Post reports.

The symbol was “unnecessarily divisive and hurtful,” the governor stated. It also became controversial among Virginia residents.

Plans include replacing current state plates that contain the flag. The U.S. Supreme Court had earlier ruled that Texas can reject specialized plates that have Confederate flag images.

In Buchanan County, Virginia, there was a different response at Hurley High School, reports Nate Hubbard of the Bristol Herald Courier. The principal, Pam Dotson, declared that the high school would continue to use the Confederate battle flag in support of its football team, the Rebels. Dotson stated that the outpouring of the community was pro-Confederate flag because of its long history at the school as the emblem of the sports team.

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