The Museum of the Confederacy (MOC) is hosting the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) on July 15, 2015 from 5:30 to 8:30 pm. This event is part of the SCV 2015 National Reunion in Richmond, VA.
A protest is planned from 5pm to 9 pm as one of the counter activities against the SCV 2015 Reunion in Richmond, Virginia. More information will be forthcoming.
A certified letter was sent to Edward Ayers, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the American Civil War Museum of which the MOC is a part. Copies were sent to all the members of the board of directors by proof of mailing.
It should be noted that Ms. Ruth C. Streeter of "CBS 60 Minutes" is a board member.
June 12,
2015
Edward
Ayers
Chairman
Board of Directors
American
Civil War Museum
490
Tredegar St.
Richmond,
VA 23219
Dear Dr.
Ayers:
As you
probably already know, but for the benefit of those to whom this letter is
copied, I am an investigative researcher into the neo-Confederate movement
published by university presses, peer-reviewed academic journals, Black Commentator, and other
venues. My curriculum vitae is online at
www.templeofdemocracy.com.
That the
MOC would hold a reception for the SCV is not surprising. People point out the
exhibit and book “Before Freedom Came” to defend the MOC. What people don’t
know is that the MOC had an event at the MOC where Ludwell Johnson gave a
racist screed as an acceptance speech upon being made a MOC fellow about the
same time as the exhibition of “Before Freedom Came.” My four part series on the MOC is online at
Black Commentator. The first installment is at this link http://www.blackcommentator.com/441/441_museum_confederacy_sebesta_guest_share.html from
which you can go to the other three installments. Or you can find a link to it
through my curriculum vitae at www.templeofdemocracy.com.
However,
unlike in the past where the activities of enabling the neo-Confederates,
enabling the Lost Cause, and being a shrine for the Confederacy was an activity
of the Museum of the Confederacy, this activity now is an activity of the
American Civil War Museum in Richmond, Virginia and this activity defines what
type of institution the American Civil War Museum is.
For the
American Civil War Museum, which purports to be an educational institution, to
be enabling the SCV whose activities are an attack on the very integrity of
history is a travesty. For the American Civil War Museum, which might purport
to being an institution for a modern multi-racial America, enabling the SCV
which promotes racist and pro-slavery literature and defends the white
supremacist and pro-slavery Confederacy is a travesty.
Giving
the SCV space to have a reception would be the mode of operation of an
institution whose guiding principle is maximum merchandising of the Civil War
to the maximum audience heedless of consequences.
I should
like to give an example of the type of history that the SCV promotes.
The Sons
of Confederate Veterans (SCV) in their magazine, merchandise catalog, and
online sells and promotes the book, “The South Under Siege, 1830-2000,” by
Frank Conner, Collards Press, 2002.
The SCV
is selling the book to its members in the Jan./Feb. 2015 and the May/June 2015
issue of Confederate Veteran, the
official publication of the SCV.
In both
the Jan./Feb. 2015 & May/June 2015 issue the book is sold along with other
things as “Confederate Gifts from GHQ” (GHQ, General HeadQuarters). It is sold in the merchandise catalog insert
in the Sept./Oct. 2013 issue of the Confederate
Veteran.
The SCV
recommends this book as follows:
This important new book by SCV
member Frank Conner examines the true relations between the North and South
from 1830 to June 2000. It identifies the real history of each region, and the
lies and distortion by which the Northern liberals have created totally false
stereotypes of both the Northern liberal and the traditional white Southerner.
It tells what the North has done to the South, and why the North claims to have
done it, why the North really did it, and what the consequences have been. An
excellent defense against the official history
currently taught in the government schools. [italics in the original, Jan./Feb.
2015, Confederate Veteran, Vol. 73
No.1, page 70, and the same text in May/June 2015 Confederate Veteran, Vol. 73 No. 3 page 70]
This book
has been sold by the SCV starting as early with an advertisement in the
Sept./Oct. 2004 Confederate Veteran,
as a “Confederate Gift from IHQ,” with the same book notice.
The
book is sold by the SCV Online as of 5/25/2013 with the same book notice. As
well it is sold in the Sons of
Confederate Veterans Merchandise Catalog for 2004-2005, 2005-2006, 2008-2009, 2009-2010, 2011-2012.
[https://scv.secure-sites.us/store.php, printed out 5/25/2013. Sons of
Confederate Veterans Merchandise Catalog 2004-2005, page 29; Sons of Confederate Veteran Merchandise
Catalog 2005-2006, page 29; Sons of
Confederate Veteran Merchandise Catalog
2008-2009, page 28; Sons of
Confederate Veteran Merchandise Catalog 2009-2010, page 28; Sons of Confederate Veteran Merchandise
Catalog 2011-2012, page 28. Note, the author only possesses five of these
catalogs, there may be others which might also have this book listed.]
Southern Mercury is a
magazine that was published by the Foundation for the Preservation of American
Culture, listed as “the educational foundation of the Sons of Confederate
Veterans.” [Vol. 5 No. 3, June 2007, Southern
Mercury, full page advertisement back outside cover.]
Conner’s
book is positively reviewed by Anne Rives Zappa in the Southern Mercury who opens the review stating, “’The South Under
Siege’ is a masterful volume of work painstakingly researched by Frank Conner.”
[Zappa,
Ann Rives, “The South Under Siege 1830-2000,” pages 30-31, Southern Mercury, Vol. 1 No. 2, September/October 2003.]
Conner’s
book argues that the 20th century Civil Rights movement was a Jewish conspiracy
carried out against the South and that the idea of racial equality was itself a
part of a Jewish conspiracy.
On page
392 in his book Connor states:
Until after the turn of the 20th
century, anthropologists had routinely recorded genetic as well as cultural
differences between races and ethnic groups – that being the whole point of
anthropology. The highlighted differences among the races hand included those
of intelligence. But as Kevin MacDonald points out in The Culture of Critique,
a German-Jewish-immigrant named Franz Boas changed all that. At Columbia, Boas
arbitrarily claimed that biological differences between races were miniscule –
that environment alone shaped the behavior of the different races and ethnic
groups (a la Rousseau). A number of other Jewish anthropologists swiftly
adopted Boas’ position; and soon the Jews dominated the field of cultural
anthropology. As MacDonald points out, by 1915 the Jews had gained control of
the American Anthropological Association; and by 1926 they were chairing the
anthropology departments at all of the major universities.
One page
396 Conner explains:
— Jews will excel in society and the economy if allowed to
compete fully. The only way the Gentiles can maintain superiority is by
discriminating against the Jews; and so, discrimination against Jews is a
common tactic in most countries — including the U.S.
On page
397 Conner explains:
— Second, under the concept of pluralism, the Jews can select
whichever “victim” group is demonstrably being discriminated against the most
(i.e. the Blacks) and run a full-blown civil-rights campaign to guilt-trip the
white Gentiles into ending discrimination against that group. This approach
offers two powerful advantages: first, if there is a blacklash of violence
against the civil-rights campaign, it will erupt all over the blacks, not the
Jews. Second (as is hinted delicately but consistently by a number of Jewish
authors), the Jews as a group are quite a bit smarter than the blacks – or any
of the other candidate “victim” groups; accordingly, the Jews themselves will
be poised to take full advantage of each new anti-discrimination law or ruling
or social taboo ostensibly created to benefit the blacks, while the blacks are
still fumbling around; and the Gentiles won’t even notice what’s happening.
On page
398 in the book Conner titles a paragraph as follows:
Northern
Jews Wage All-Out Ideological Warfare Against the White South.
[Underline in the original.]
The
chapter is just filled with material like that quoted with the following on
page 406, last page of the chapter:
Look well at the Northern Jewish
intellectuals/activists, O South, for they – who by rights should have been
your closest friends – are by their own choice your dedicated and deadliest
enemy.
I enclose
documentation. I find it hard to believe that the Museum of the Confederacy is
unaware of this book and further Frank Conner may very well be at the reception
at the MOC since he is a prominent neo-Confederate and SCV member.
I ask the
American Civil War Museum to not host the Sons of Confederate Veterans, stop
pandering to neo-Confederates or enable them in any way.
Sincerely
Yours,
Edward
H. Sebesta
CC: See
table on next page.
No.
|
Name
|
Affiliation
|
1
|
Mr. Dennis I. Belcher
|
McGuire Woods
|
2
|
Mr. George C. Freeman III
|
Universal Corporation
|
3
|
Mr. Bruce C. Gottwald Sr.
|
NewMarket Corporation
|
4
|
Mr. Bernard Grisby
|
The Pines
|
5
|
Dr. Monroe E. Harris Sr.
|
Virginia Oral and Facial Surgery
|
6
|
Mr. David C. Johnson Jr
|
Marketfield Asset Management
|
7
|
Mr. Donald E. King
|
McGuire Woods
|
8
|
Mr. William H. Luke
|
Mead Wesvaco
|
9
|
Mr. Robert N. Mayer
|
Rothschild Foundation
|
10
|
Dr. Elisabeth S. Muhlenfield
|
Retired
|
11
|
Mr. Roswell Page III
|
McGuire Woods
|
12
|
Mr. Walter S. Robertson III
|
Sterne, Agee & Leach Inc
|
13
|
Mr. O. Randolph Rollins
|
Drive-To-Work
|
14
|
Mr. S. Buford Scott
|
Scott & Stringfellow, Inc.
|
15
|
Ms. Ruth C. Streeter
|
CBS News "60 Minutes"
|
16
|
Mr. Brandt Surgner
|
Altria Group, Inc.
|
17
|
Mr. Matthew G. Thompson Jr.
|
CSC Leasing Company
|
18
|
Mr. Lacy Ward Jr.
|
International Civil Rights Center and Museum
|
19
|
Mr. Mario M. White
|
Virginia State University
|
20
|
Mr. Samuel B. Witt III
|
Retired
|
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