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Texas rejects bid to issue license plates displaying Confederate Flag

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A proposed Confederate Flag license plate in Texas. (Photo from the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles.)

In Texas, the Sons of Confederate Veterans want the state to issue license plates displaying the Confederate Flag. On Thursday, the state said no way, in the wake of protests from minorities who say the flag represents racism.


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In Texas, a group of descendants of Confederate Veterans wants to emblazon the Confederate flag on their license plates.

The State of Texas says no way.

The DMV's nine-member board first considered the license plate earlier this year, but deadlocked 4-4 with one person absent. According to the Associated Press, all nine members opposed issuing the plates when they considered them on Thursday.

Nine states issue license plates with the flag on them. Three other states are considering them.

"This is still the south. It has brought up some history some people would rather not relive," said Hernán Rozemberg, senior correspondent and San Antonio bureau chief for Fronteras.

And Oliver Hill, president of the San Antonio chapter of the NAACP, said he hoped the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles rejected the license plate.

"That flag was used to intimidate and murder and lynch people back when the Ku Klux Klan had its heyday in Texas," he said. "It's just a reminder to us that we haven't gotten as far in race relations as we should have."

Union veterans said they had no problem with the plates, which surprised many. Sons of Confederate Veterans said rejecting this license plates would be political correctness run amok. They've previously threatened to file a lawsuit if the design was rejected.

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"The Takeaway" is a national morning news program, delivering the news and analysis you need to catch up, start your day, and prepare for what's ahead. The show is a co-production of WNYC and PRI, in editorial collaboration with the BBC, The New York Times Radio, and WGBH.

Found in:   government   race/ethnicity   politics
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