*To honor the nine people gunned down at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, two flags atop the statehouse in Columbia (the state flag and American flag), were lowered to half-staff on Thursday, and will stay lowered for nine days in honor of each victim.
The Confederate flag, however, continued to fly at full staff beside the lowered flags.
According to NBC News, it was done on purpose…because of state law.
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has jurisdiction over how and when state flags fly — but the Confederate flag is under the authority of the state’s General Assembly, lawmakers told NBC News. It can’t be changed in any way without a sign-off from the General Assembly.
Haley while she was campaigning for governor last year said there was no need to take down the Confederate flag. She addressed the controversy Friday on CBS “This Morning,” saying that she hopes a conversation can be started again with “thoughtful words to be exchanged.”
“I think the state will start talking about that again, and we’ll see where it goes,” Haley said.
The Confederate flag, carried by the pro-slavery Confederate Army during the Civil War, has long been a symbol of racism and segregation against African Americans.
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