North Carolina Governor, advocacy groups condem Confederate Flag being featured in exhibit at Great American State Fair
‘Stop dishonoring the flag of North Carolina,’ a statement from Gov. Josh Stein’s office read in response to the flag being displayed on a video board near remnants of a car honoring NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt. The image was later removed.
The Great American State Fair in Washington D.C. was supposed to be a celebration of all 50 states and to mark the beginning of America 250 celebrations in D.C. ahead of July 4. While some states, such as Oregon and Pennsylvania, are opting not to participate in the fair, leadership from North Carolina denounced the use of a Confederate flag in its exhibit.
On Friday, a video board displayed the Stars and Bars flag as part of a North Carolina showcase, according to Spectrum News and various attendees. The state opted not to sponsor a booth for the fair, but several companies stepped in. The video featured an image of the North Carolina flag with the Confederate flag superimposed on it. Officials later removed the videos.
In its state’s history, North Carolina never incorporated the Confederate flag into its state flag. Southern states that incorporated variations of the Confederate flag into their current flag include Alabama, Arkansas, Florida and Georgia. Mississippi previously incorporated a variation of the Confederate flag into its state flag, but a new state flag was adopted in 2021 that focused on the magnolia flower, with homages to it being the 20th state and more.
“On Friday, we became aware of an unapproved image in a video displayed inside the North Carolina Pavilion,” a spokesperson for the North Carolina pavilion/exhibit said in a statement. “As soon as we were made aware, we immediately removed the video and began reviewing how it occurred. Our focus remains on celebrating America’s 250th birthday and North Carolina’s role in our nation’s history.”
A spokesman for North Carolina Governor Josh Stein issued a statement on the flag being displayed at the fair, writing, “This display does not reflect the North Carolina that we love. America 250 is about unity and bringing our nation together. Glorifying this divisive Confederate symbol does the exact opposite. We demand the organizers stop dishonoring the flag of North Carolina.”
Others, like the Democracy advocacy group Carolina Forward, slammed the flag used in the exhibit, noting that two versions of the flag were displayed at the North Carolina booth.
“So the privately-sponsored North Carolina booth at Trump’s fair features not one, but two altered versions of the state flag with a big stars-and-bars on it. Disgusting,” the group wrote in a post on X.
One of the sponsors for North Carolina’s booth, Mt. Olive Pickle Company, withdrew its participation from the fair in light of the controversy.
“Mt. Olive Pickle Company was invited to participate in the North Carolina exhibit for the Great American State Fair in Washington, D.C., as part of America’s 250th celebration,” the statement said. “We are proud of our North Carolina roots, and we agreed to be a part of an exhibit, as presented to us, that would represent the best of our great state. We were unaware that an image of the Confederate flag was included in a video as part of this exhibit, and we have withdrawn our participation. Our company stands on values of human dignity, opportunity, and freedom.”
North Carolina is among 10 states that do not have official delegates at the fair, joining Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Pennsylvania. While most states cited logistics or costs for their absence, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek was more explicit in her reasoning for why the state was not participating, saying “the cost of participating in the Fair and growing concerns that the event in Washington, D.C. is shaping up to be a more partisan affair than originally presented.”