Group Responds To Haddonfield Independence Day Flag Controversy

HADDONFIELD, NJ — The head of a group of Right to Life demonstrators said he was unaware that a flag his group carried in Haddonfield’s Independence Day Parade had any segregationist overtones.

Tom Fox told njpen.com he was unaware of any indication of support for segregation connected to the 1956 Georgia State Flag, which he says his group has carried in the parade for years. He told the website he didn’t want to cause any trouble, and would speak to the other members of the group about discussing the issue with concerned residents in the borough.

The flag features the stars and bars that symbolized the Confederacy during the Civil War on the right, and the seal of the State of Georgia on the left. An image of the flag, courtesy Wikimedia Commons, is attached to this post.

It was approved by that state’s legislature in 1956 to maintain the status of segregation in Georgia. It was retired in 2001, and Georgia redesigned its flag in 2003. Concerned resident Margo Kaplan previously suggested to njpen.com that the group may not know the flag is outdated, and said she would be happy to pay for an updated flag for them to use.

Photo credit: Zscout370 via Wikimedia Commons