Group of people holding Confederate flags (via Creative Commons)
The organizers claim that it's about "history" or "the preservation of liberty and freedom," but a park honoring the Confederacy opening in Jacksonville, Florida on Kwanzaa could question motivations.
According to the First Coast News, the Sons of Confederate Veterans will be responsible for the park, specifically, Kirby-Smith Camp #1209. Their website claims that they are the most active camp in the Sons of Confederate Veterans organizations.
They also swear that they are strictly about patriotism, history, education, non-political, non-sectarian and well-meaning.
"According to the Kirby-Smith Camp #1209's website, the organization believes that school books, movies, television programs and press falsely portray Southerners as rebels and traitors who fought to preserve slavery, misleading our children and millions of Americans ignorant of history," said the report.
The 15,000 soldiers to be honored died fighting to continue race-based slavery in the South, but the group claims that the evil accusations about them and their families are lies.
"Since my family fought for the Confederacy, they thereby falsely malign my family and me," the Kirby-Smith Camp #1209's website claims.
Confederate statues and Confederate flags will fly over the park and will be visible from the I-295 west beltway.
Kwanzaa is celebrated annually from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1 and is specifically designated as a time to celebrate African-Americans and their history.
Read the full report at the First Coast News.
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