State, local leaders react to removal of Confederate flag from State House grounds

After long held debates, which began Wednesday and continued into the early morning hours Thursday, the South Carolina House of Representatives approved a Senate bill that orders the Confederate flag to be removed from the State House grounds.

The House voted 94-20 to banish the flag from the Capitol after more than 12 hours of debate over the issue.

The bill now heads to Gov. Nikki Haley for her signature. The flag must come down within 24 hours of her signing the bill.

Haley started the call for removing the flag in the days after nine African-Americans were shot and killed in a historic Charleston church last month.

Many state, local and national leaders reacted to the news of the historic decision:

Gov. Nikki Haley on Facebook:

“Today, as the Senate did before them, the House of Representatives has served the State of South Carolina and her people with great dignity. I'm grateful for their service and their compassion. It is a new day in South Carolina, a day we can all be proud of, a day that truly brings us all together as we continue to heal, as one people and one state.”

U.S. Rep. Mark Sanford:

“This morning’s vote by the South Carolina House, that followed a similar vote in the South Carolina Senate, is a reminder to all of us on the ways in which faith can move mountains. What would have been viewed as politically impossible just three weeks ago changed as a result of the faith, humility, and grace shown by the families of the nine victims at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston. They didn’t take the votes or make the speeches, but they caused both – and that strikes me as something for all of us to think on and be inspired by on this historic occasion.”

Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin:

“This moment is about more than a flag or a vote. It’s about the hope that now, 150 years after the end of the Civil War, we have grown beyond our differences and have begun to grow together. This is not the end of division, of prejudice or of hate. But it is the beginning of something new and if we can hold on to it and to each other, if we can nurture that hope and help it grow, then we will have something more precious than a history. We will have a future.”

NAACP President and CEO Cornell William Brooks:

“By removing the flag, South Carolina not only denounces an odious emblem of a bygone era but also honors the lives of nine students of scripture who were gunned down in a church, including that of Rev. Clementa Pinckney, the former South Carolina state senator. We applaud Governor Nikki Haley for her leadership and moral courage by changing her position and supporting the flag removal in the aftermath of tragedy. This decision will make South Carolina more welcoming and affirming of all people irrespective of their skin color.”

NAACP Conference President Dr. Lonnie Randolph:

“Today, the South Carolina legislature did the right thing—one that is profoundly American – by taking down the Confederate battle flag. I applaud South Carolina state senators, members of the House of Representatives and Governor Nikki Haley for their commitment and support to the citizens of South Carolina and the citizens of this country. Fifteen years ago, the NAACP launched longstanding boycott against the state until the battle flag came down.”

S.C. Democratic Party Chairman Jaime Harrison:

“Our leaders in Columbia deserve a great deal of thanks for exercising courage to remove the confederate flag from the statehouse grounds. There are people on both sides of this issue who exhibited constraint and civility during these turbulent times. I know our friend Clementa Pinckney would be proud. Over the past few weeks South Carolina showed that we could stare down hatred and bigotry. We have been battered, bruised and heart broken, yet last night we were able to accomplish something that many believe to be impossible. Our unity has birthed renewed hope. A divisive symbol may be departing but the real work remains. We must continue to fight for access to health care through Medicaid expansion, equitable funding for education, economic development for rural communities, investment in our deteriorating infrastructure and racial healing. I hope we use this experience as an example of how can move forward together.”

S.C. GOP Chairman Matt Moore:

“Tonight was a pivotal moment in South Carolina's history. For too long, the Confederate battle flag on our Statehouse grounds had divided South Carolina. Those divisions began to heal tonight. We can't change the past or bring back those who were so needlessly killed just three weeks ago. But we are charting a course for a new century in South Carolina that honors our heritage without doing it at the expense of so many. I commend Governor Nikki Haley, Speaker Jay Lucas, Majority Leader Bruce Bannister, President Pro Tempore Hugh Leatherman, Senator John Courson, and so many others for putting principles above politics in order to pass this bill. We continue to pray for the friends and families impacted by the Charleston shooting and for our great state.”

Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton:

“Removing this symbol of our nation’s racist past is an important step towards equality and civil rights in America. The flag may soon no longer fly at the State Capitol, but there is still unfinished business in confronting and acting on the inequalities that still exist in our country. We can’t hide from the hard truths about race and justice. We must do everything in our power to have the courage to name them and change them.”

This story was originally published July 9, 2015 at 9:27 AM.