Daniel Sims, a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, has added a unique perspective to the debate over removing Confederate monuments and flags from public display.
Sims, who is black, interviewed with Huntsville-area WHNT about the subject this week.
Wearing both a hat and shirt depicting the Confederate flag, while also holding a full-size Confederate flag on a staff, Sims told WHNT, “Regardless [of] how the next person feels, I’m not going to take my flag down.”
“If I’ve got anything to do with it, ain’t no monument going to come down,” he added.
Sims was reportedly adopted as a child and now holds his adopted family’s heritage as his own.
“My whole family’s white,” Sims explained. “[I] went to an all-white school, grew up in an all-white neighborhood. My grandfather was white, and he was the main one who fought in this war here (the Civil War). And he’s taught me everything I know.”
WHNT reported that the interview took place in Albertville, which is located in Marshall County. According to the most recent data published by the Census Bureau, the county’s population is 79.8% white, 14.7% Hispanic or Latino and 3.2% black.
About the push to take down a confederate monument and flag specifically outside the Albertville courthouse, Sims added, “It may make my blood boil if they just come up here and feel like they could just tear it down. I don’t see me still living if they do that right there. That monument ain’t hurting nobody. That monument ain’t killing a soul. It ain’t talking bad to nobody. It ain’t even racist.”
Watch:
? Check this out..
A perspective on confederate monuments you probably haven’t heard before. Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/wZmswcWv8x
— Shevaun Bryan (@finessebryan) August 13, 2020
The clip has gone viral, garnering about 400,000 views in 12 hours. The WHNT reporter who conducted the interview noted in a tweet that Sims has reminded some viewers of an old “Chapelle Show” character, Clayton Bigsby.
Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
