Discourse around the removal and history of the Confederate flag has been in public discussion for decades post-Civil War. The Upperman Center hosted guest speaker Brittany Newsome Bass in Lumina Theater, where she shared her story about removing the Confederate flag from the South Carolina State House and her civil rights activism.
“WE ARE LIVING HISTORY” was displayed on the screen with a collage of Black individuals. Aliyah Smith, president of the Black Student Union (BSU) at UNCW, opened the event by thanking everyone for attending the night’s event and introducing Bass.
Over 10 years ago, Bass climbed the flagpole and removed the Confederate flag flying over the South Carolina State House. Bass told the audience that the climbing gear she used is now on display at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.
“People were saying, ‘but it’s historical erasure if you take down these things.’ And I want to point out that these are not the same thing. All things are not equal,” said Bass, speaking about debates surrounding the removal of the Confederate flag.
Bass informed the audience about the Trump administration’s recent removal of an exhibit on slavery, as part of his executive order intended to “restore truth and sanity to American history.” Philadelphia has sued the administration over the exhibit’s removal, which honored enslaved people connected to George Washington.
“And so, when we erase that history, when we take that down, that represents the exact same thing as the Confederate statues,” said Bass. “I want you to understand that the construction of the Confederate statues was a campaign to erase the history of the Civil War, the history of slavery.”
Bass recounted her time visiting the Old Slave Mart in Charleston, S.C., where enslaved individuals were auctioned off.
“There was something about standing in that physical place where people had been separated from their families to never see them again, standing in that place with my family, with my parents and my sister and my nieces, and imagining what that would be like to be taken from there and never see them again,” said Bass.
The racist mass shooting at the Mother Emmanuel AME Church in Charleston, S.C. occurred June 17, 2015. Dylann Roof was arrested and faced 33 charges, including federal hate crimes and firearms charges tied to the victims’ race and religion. Bass said one of the victims was pastor and South Carolina Sen. Clementa Pinckney.
“You can’t see it in this image, but they had lowered the American flag and the state flag to half-staff, but the Confederate flag was symbolically flying above those things,” said Bass, describing a photo from Pickney’s memorial.
On June 27, 2015, Bass climbed the 30-foot flagpole and became a part of history. She worked with a group of activists seeking the removal of the Confederate flag waving high at the South Carolina State State House. James Tyson, a white civil rights activist, was arrested alongside Bass after ascending the flag pole.
“A white man serving a dual purpose — the visual of somebody white being arrested alongside somebody black,” said Bass.
After Bass removed the flag, she recited Bible verses as she made her way down the pole.
“It’s about the fact that this flag had more protection than people,” said Bass. “[Police officers] were threatening to shoot me full of electricity, but they wanted to make sure that the flag didn’t touch the ground.” Bass showed the video of her climbing the pole with details about her experience being arrested.
“But the awareness of history, your awareness of who you are, how you got here, what came before you, what can come after you—that is what empowers you to not simply be a passive observer of what is going on around you. That is what empowers you to step in and say, ‘I am going to change history. I am going to change the course of events at this moment.’ And that’s the power of Black history in particular.”
The audience applauded after her remarks, and the session concluded with a Q&A.
“The thing that I would want to leave you with, that I hope you take from this is that we each have a responsibility, individually and collectively,” Bass said. “Change comes not from one single action, but billions of them.”
JEFF PAULK • Mar 25, 2026 at 3:00 pm
RE: The removal of the confederate flag:
Only those who are grossly ignorant about the TRUTH of our history view the Confederate Battle flag as “racist”, or “the flag of slavery”. First of all, no Confederate flag ever flew over the New England Yankee slave ships, but it was Old Glory that held that distinction. Secondly, Lincoln’s illegal war had not one thing to do with slavery. He illegally invaded the legally seceded states for the continued collection of excessive and unconstitutional tariffs, which were sucking money out of the South and sending it North for the benefit of Northern railroads, bankers, industry, and internal improvements. If you read his first inaugural address of 4 March, 1861 you will see that he is not concerned with slavery, but revenues. The South was paying 85% of the federal revenues at the time, but getting almost nothing in return.
The Confederate Battle flag, which Governor Nikki Haley had removed from the SC Capitol grounds in 2015, represents the exact same ideals as the US Betsy Ross flag; resistance to tyranny, independence, and the right of self-determination. Haley is a globalist and did what she did for political expediency. While she celebrates her Indian heritage, she denied the right of the people of South Carolina to do the same. Hypocritical to say the least.
While people bemoan Southern slavery, it is a well known and documented fact that enslaved blacks in the South were better fed, treated, and enjoyed a longer life span than free blacks in the North. Yes, there were some abuses, but there were laws protecting slaves from mistreatment. Most slaves were treated like extended family members, and there were free blacks in the South that owned slaves. The famed Southern sniper, Jack Hinson, freed all of his slaves, yet all of them chose to remain with him on his plantation.
More than 429,000 slaves were in the Union during the war, and West Virginia was admitted into the Union as a slave state, so the myth that the war was “fought over slavery” is just that – a myth. Thousands of letters from both Confederate and Union soldiers tell why they were fighting, and it was not over slavery. Lincoln even endorsed the Corwin Amendment which would have forever made it illegal to abolish slavery in the states where it existed, if the South would return to the Union and ratify it. So, how can there be numerous slaves in the Union, a new slave stated admitted to the Union, and the President of the U.S. supporting a “slavery forever amendment” if the war was “fought over slavery”?
We have been lied to for 160 years by our “educational” system, as well as Hollywood, the media, politicians, PBS, and the History Channel. What our Confederate ancestors did was defend their homes and families from an illegal invasion of murderers, looters, arsonists, and rapists, and fought for the right to be independent, just as their colonial ancestors did against Great Britain.
People like Bree Newsome Bass have not the first clue about the truth of our history. There is so much ignorance pouring off of her that she needs someone to follow her around with a mop bucket to mop it up.
It is past time to stop this Cultural Genocide Bandwagon and tell the truth about our history. Confederate monuments and flags are very appropriate as a reminder of those brave men, white, black, Indian, Mexican, and more, who fought against superior odds and almost won. In fact, they did win most of the battles, even being outnumbered 3, 4, and 5 to one. The South did not have an endless supply of European socialists like the North did, which Lincoln paid to join his army of terrorists.
So, let’s stop the South-bashing and get the correct version of history to the people, especially our young people. Leave our flags and monuments alone!
Jeff Paulk
Oklahoma Division Commander
Sons of Confederate Veterans