WHEREAS:

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees has a long standing commitment to attaining and protecting basic civil rights for all Americans and has played a major role in fighting for civil rights on all fronts, including the United States Congress, the states and on the municipal levels; and

WHEREAS:

The states of Georgia and Mississippi are the only remaining states that use the flag of the Confederacy as their state flag or use the cross bar symbol of the Confederacy on their state flag, and

WHEREAS:

African Americans in particular are joined by people of all races, colors and creeds who find the cross bar symbol and the flag of the Confederacy to be offensively symbolic as a glorification of the inhumanity of slavery and a blatant denial of the injustice of racial segregation, which was used as a barrier by the Confederate states to disenfranchise African Americans; and

WHEREAS:

The flying of the Confederate flag or cross bars on a state flag do little to promote the principles upon which this country was founded; and

WHEREAS:

The removal of cross bars from the state capitols of Georgia and Mississippi would not constitute undue hardship, create "special rights," or deter tourism.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:

That AFSCME will continue to work towards advancing legislation protecting basic civil rights for all; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

That AFSCME and its councils, locals and retiree chapters will actively lobby for removal of these symbols of the Confederacy from state flags.

SUBMITTED BY:

Darnell B. Macklin, Executive Board Member and Delegate 
Thermon Donnelly, Secretary-Treasurer and Delegate 
AFSCME Local 2912, Council 31
Illinois