Slain South Carolina state legislator Clementa Pinckney’s body will lie in state at the South Carolina State House beginning tomorrow, but still in question is whether the controversial Confederate state flag, which has flown there since 1962, will be permanently removed.
Despite a powerful call by Governor Nikki Haley to remove a “deeply offensive symbol of a brutally offensive past,” some are saying that legislators who want the flag removed continue to fight an uphill battle.
This, as GOP presidential candidates navigate a delicate political landscape in which some of their staunchest supporters want to retain the flag, and where corporate America is beginning to respond to pressure to remove the symbol from their businesses as well.
Glenn Smith of The Post and Courier in Charleston joins Here & Now’s Robin Young to discuss the issues.
Guest
- Glenn Smith, special projects editor for The Post and Courier. He tweets @glennsmith5.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.