“Confederates in the Attic” Author On The Confederate Flag Debate

 ========= Old Image Removed =========Array
(
    [_wp_attached_file] => Array
        (
            [0] => 2015/07/6d0a08eb4975f71e_640_civil-war.jpg
        )

    [_wp_attachment_metadata] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:5:{s:5:"width";i:640;s:6:"height";i:426;s:4:"file";s:42:"2015/07/6d0a08eb4975f71e_640_civil-war.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:10:{s:6:"medium";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:42:"6d0a08eb4975f71e_640_civil-war-336x224.jpg";s:5:"width";i:336;s:6:"height";i:224;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:42:"6d0a08eb4975f71e_640_civil-war-140x140.jpg";s:5:"width";i:140;s:6:"height";i:140;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"wbhm-icon";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:40:"6d0a08eb4975f71e_640_civil-war-80x80.jpg";s:5:"width";i:80;s:6:"height";i:80;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:13:"wbhm-featured";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:42:"6d0a08eb4975f71e_640_civil-war-600x338.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:338;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:20:"wbhm-featured-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:42:"6d0a08eb4975f71e_640_civil-war-600x426.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:426;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:18:"wbhm-featured-home";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:42:"6d0a08eb4975f71e_640_civil-war-467x311.jpg";s:5:"width";i:467;s:6:"height";i:311;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:42:"6d0a08eb4975f71e_640_civil-war-398x265.jpg";s:5:"width";i:398;s:6:"height";i:265;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:28:"ab-block-post-grid-landscape";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:42:"6d0a08eb4975f71e_640_civil-war-600x400.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:400;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:25:"ab-block-post-grid-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:42:"6d0a08eb4975f71e_640_civil-war-600x426.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:426;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:42:"6d0a08eb4975f71e_640_civil-war-125x125.jpg";s:5:"width";i:125;s:6:"height";i:125;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:12:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";s:11:"orientation";s:1:"0";s:8:"keywords";a:0:{}}}
        )

    [_media_credit] => Array
        (
            [0] => DB-Foto 
        )

    [_navis_media_credit_org] => Array
        (
            [0] => Pixabay
        )

    [_navis_media_can_distribute] => Array
        (
            [0] => 
        )

    [_imagify_data] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:2:{s:5:"stats";a:3:{s:13:"original_size";i:0;s:14:"optimized_size";i:0;s:7:"percent";i:0;}s:5:"sizes";a:1:{s:4:"full";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}}}
        )

    [_imagify_status] => Array
        (
            [0] => already_optimized
        )

    [_imagify_optimization_level] => Array
        (
            [0] => 1
        )

)
1637555488 
1436308739

The South has been grappling with what to do about Confederate symbols since a gunman shot 9 people at a historically black church in Charleston, South Carolina, last month. Tony Horwitz, a bestselling author and journalist, spoke with WBHM’s Will Dahlberg about Confederate imagery, memorabilia and monuments, and whether the United States should collectively push these pieces of history aside.

Horwitz is probably most known for his book Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War. He also recently published Midnight Rising: John Brown and the Raid That Sparked the Civil War, in 2011. The book ties into themes of history, memory and the controversy surrounding them.

Listen to an extended version of this interview here:

History and Heritage

In the deep south, many have remaining ties with their Confederate roots. Horwitz says while there are heritage groups that push the envelope with political agendas and racial overtones, it’s important to remember that some southerners just want to remember their ancestors.

“I think we have to be careful to not paint everyone who’s interested in Confederate heritage with the same brush,” he says, “And I think perhaps there’s some of that going on in the media at the moment.”

However, Horwitz also says it isn’t always easy to separate ancestry from politics.

“No one wants to spit on their ancestors,” he says, “On the other hand, we need to find a way to remember them that doesn’t glorify the cause for which they fought.”

Memorializing the Flags and Monuments

As confederate flags come down across the South, some state officials are asking whether municipalities should move Confederate monuments out of the public realm.

Horwitz says the argument is about the perception of not what these symbols represented in the past, but what they represent now.

“The argument now is that this really shouldn’t be in the public square,” he says, “in a context in which it’s saying,’This represents all of us in our state.'”

However, Horwitz says the decisions about monuments are trickier.

“It’s easy to take down a flag,” he says, “It’s a little harder to start moving statues.”

Relocation or Removal

Much still remains to be discussed, however, about whether states should get rid of flags and monuments altogether, or just move them to new locations.

Horwitz says his only worry is that in efforts to move forward, people will erase integral parts of America’s history. He says he hopes the monuments stay where they are, but that officials add plaques to contextualize them.

“I think they can be teaching tools,” he says, “personally I’d prefer to see most of these monuments stay where they are, but that’s obviously for the people of these communities to decide for themselves.”

 

Trump names former Florida AG Pam Bondi as his new pick for U.S. attorney general

After former Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew from consideration, President-elect Donald Trump named Pam Bondi, a former attorney general of Florida, as his next pick for U.S. attorney general.

Police report gives details, timeline of the sexual assault claim against Pete Hegseth

The woman who accused then-Fox News host of sexual assault in 2017 said that she "remembered saying 'no' a lot," according to a police report. Hegseth is President-elect Donald Trump's choice for Secretary of Defense.

Alabama Black Belt’s sewer crisis a tougher fix for residents in manufactured homes

Poor sanitation has long plagued residents in Alabama’s Black Belt. For people with manufactured houses, finding a solution has been more challenging.

In Birmingham, Black men’s groups work to save young men from the cycle of gun violence

As the city inches closer to its homicide record, community members are trying to address a sense of fatalism and lack of opportunity felt by some young men.

What is the ICC and can it really arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu?

The ICC also issued warrants for Yoav Gallant, former Israeli defense minister, and Hamas leader Muhammad Deif. But it doesn't have an enforcement mechanism and relies on states to make the arrests.

Former Brazilian president indicted over alleged coup plot

Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro and several others have been charged with attempting to overthrow incoming government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in 2022.

More Front Page Coverage