Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond has banned the flying of Confederate flags on its grounds. People travelling through the South are often surprised to see Confederate flags in local cemeteries with Confederate soldiers’ graves. Hollywood, the final resting place of thousands of Confederate dead, has probably seen more graveside Confederate Battle Flags than any other cemetery in the country.
The board of directors of the cemetery passed the resolution in 2020, but did not publicize it until this month. The resolution said that the ban was imposed because; “against the current backdrop of intentional acts of vandalism and destruction of property, Hollywood’s board has removed from public view all flags of the Confederacy in the interest of protecting and preserving the entirety of the cemetery’s grounds.”
Local media interviewed a scholar of local practices. According to the article:
Virginia Commonwealth University historian Ryan K. Smith said Hollywood used to seek an elite, White clientele. The Confederate flag ban, he said, could help Hollywood move past those racist roots and appeal to a more diverse public.
“They have been worried, and I think rightfully so, about vandalism,” Smith said. “I think Hollywood is also trying to position itself for newer audiences going forward than it cultivated in the past.”
Follow Reconstruction Blog on Social Media:
Disagree!