City Officials to Consider Changes to Flag, Seal
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Montgomery may soon have a new city flag and seal.
This after pressure to change the design of both, which currently pay homage to the confederacy.
Montgomery city councilmen unanimously voted to establish an ad-hoc committee to oversee a study of the design of the city’s flag and seal.
Councilman David Burkette sponsored the resolution, saying his constituents want to see both redesigned.
“They’ve been following the story out of South Carolina and saying that everything needs to be removed and that the flag is racial, that the flag has a lot of similarities to the confederate flag.”
The Montgomery city flag has 11 stars one for each confederate state. The city seal boasts the title “Cradle of the Confederacy.” And some believe that’s a problem. Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange says he’s open to the discussion.
“We do have a unique scenario in that we are the cradle of the confederacy and the birthplace of the civil rights movement so somehow, without offending, we ought to be able to capture that from a historical perspective.”
The ad-hoc committee will only include senior members of the council, Charles Smith, Charles Jinright, and Tracy Larkin.
“We’ve had this controversy that’s been going across the country with regard to symbols related to the confederacy and we knew that at some point, we would have that discussion here in the city of Montgomery,” Larkin said.
Councilmen say they want public input on the issue and will consult with local historians and professors.
“The council can’t make the decision by themselves,” Councilman Charles Jinright said. “This is a city-wide issue. This is a historic issue.”
Three potential designs for a new city seal have already been turned in.
