NAACP president: Don't let Confederates in Hall

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The head of the NAACP in Florida blasted a push to add former Confederate soldiers to the state's Veterans' Hall of Fame, saying in a statement Tuesday that people who fought against the Union "forfeited any right to be honored in the Florida Capitol."

Adora Obi Nweze, president of the NAACP Florida State Conference, said those who fought for the Confederacy should continue to be excluded from the hall because they do not meet a requirement that inductees be discharged honorably from the United States Armed Forces.

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"The dark stain of slavery is undeniably a part of American and Florida history that should be remembered and studied," Nweze said in a lengthy written statement. "But to have these men honored in a memorial at the state Capitol for their service on the wrong side of history would be an injustice to the descendants of enslaved Americans and an insult to all Americans who have bravely served our country with honor. ... Including Confederates in the Florida Veterans' Hall of Fame would be like a modern declaration of civil war by the state of Florida."

Nweze said her organization had also started an online petition opposed to the possibility.

The issue flared during a meeting of Gov. Rick Scott and the state Cabinet earlier this month.

The Department of Veterans' Affairs said that three hall-of-fame nominees submitted by an advisory council were ineligible because they served in the Confederate military and the agency interprets state law to allow only people discharged honorably from the U.S. military to be inducted.

The three men are former Gov. Edward Perry; David Lang, credited as the father of the Florida National Guard; and former U.S. Sen. Samuel Pasco, namesake of the Florida county.

All nominations for the hall were then put on hold so that the three Confederate veterans could be more closely reviewed by Cabinet members and to allow Attorney General Pam Bondi's office to consult with lawyers at the Department of Veterans Affairs on the meaning of the law.

The Legislature could also clarify whether people who fought for the Confederacy are eligible for the hall.Â