The committee that puts on the Tucson Rodeo Parade announced this week that they will no longer allow the "Rebel" Confederate flag to be displayed in the annual procession, acknowledging the concerns raised by a Tucson City Councilmember and others that many people equate it with issues of slavery.
But the group behind the parade — which just celebrated its 95th year late last month — said that they will continue to use the "Stars and Bars" flag in the procession's color guard, alongside all the flags of government entities that ruled Tucson, a list that includes the Spanish, Mexican, State of Arizona and United States of America flags.
“The Tucson Rodeo Parade is not unique in using this color guard configuration as other historical groups/events also include all flags flown over the city as part of a visual history. The color guard is a history lesson, as is our entire parade,” read a statement from board secretary Herb Wagner and chairman-elect Marshall Stewart. “The Tucson Rodeo Parade Committee does not endorse any political or social movement. The entries in the Rodeo Parade are allowed based on their adherence to the parade theme of Western heritage and history. We do not promote any political or social theme, nor discourage any historically correct entry."
The decision was made during a committee meeting Tuesday night after concerns were raised last week by Tucson Councilmember Lane Santa Cruz. She submitted an opinion piece to the Arizona Daily Star and others stating that she had heard several complaints from residents of her west-side district about the presence of the flag in the parade, and labeled it as a “symbol of slavery, oppression and white supremacy.”
“Until the Tucson Rodeo Parade Committee takes corrective action I will continue to refuse to participate, and I believe that the City of Tucson should stop investing in the parade,” Santa Cruz said.
Removing the Confederate banners from the parade received the support of Mayor Regina Romero, who added that the flag “has no place in the rodeo parade or elsewhere in our community." She said the committee should instead recognize the city's history by including the Tohono O'odham and Pascua Yaqui flags.
In an interview, Wagner said the committee decided to ban the use of the flag — a large red flag with a blue X adorned with 13 stars that was one of the flags of the Army of Northern Virginia — after determining that it was never flown in Tucson, but rather during battles in the eastern United States.
He said that the committee did not discuss whether to use the Tohono or Pascua Yaqui flags but that "we can talk about later" if the mayor continues to press that issue. He said the groups have "never been the controlling government of Tucson," hence why they are not included in the color guard, but they are featured prominently on entries from both nations.
"We're trying to be historically accurate," Wagner said.
In response, Santa Cruz said that she is "opposed to all versions of the Confederate flag, official and unofficial" and called the decision "a joke."
"Flags serve as a symbol of loyalty and you raise them to represent the values and the principles they stand for. The Confederacy stood for slavery, not freedom; for the Supremacy of one race over another. Banning the unofficial version of the Confederate flag and not the official version is a joke," Santa Cruz said. "In Tucson, we do not stand behind the violent history of enslaving human bodies."
Confederate flags have for years flown at historical sites around Tucson, including the parade, which officials have called an “annual celebration of the Western Heritage of Tucson and Southern Arizona." Photos from this year’s parade showed two different versions of the flag being flown at the forefront of the parade by the color guard and on the Sons of Confederate Veterans float.
There have been attempts in the past to stop flying the flag, especially in the parade. In 2016, the Tucson Rodeo Parade Committee changed to the “Stars and Bars” flag after it “acknowledged our ignorance” to fly the correct flag for Arizona’s Confederate occupation. That flag features a large horizontal red stripe on the top, a large white stripe in the middle, and another large stripe at the bottom, as well as a blue square in the upper left hand corner with 13 stars in a circle. It flew over Tucson during a nearly 300-day Confederate occupation in 1862.
Representatives from the Sons of Confederate Veterans said last week the group has been riding in the parade for more than two decades and acknowledged the group gets complaints about the flag annually. The group said last week that flag they said the flag represented “regimental colors,” which were used during battles to notify other Confederate fighters on the smoke-filled battlefield.
Bob Johnson, Arizona division commander for the group, told the Star that they support of the decision of the committee and that "we appreciate the opportunity to participate" in the annual parade. He added that he was pleased with the compromise and middle ground, saying "it works better than being divisive."
"We understand the sensitivity," he said. "The most important thing for us is to keep our Confederate veterans part of Arizona's history, since many made significant contributions to the territory, and are classified as American Veterans under US Law and by the VA, and Tucson was occupied by the Confederacy in the early stages of the War for Southern Independence. We as the SCV want to maintain our presence in many forums to keep our veterans legacy alive, and have folks understand we do not support hate or white supremacy."
The group’s statement of purpose is “remembering the bravery, defending the honor and protecting the memory of our beloved Confederate Veterans, which includes their memorials, images, symbols, monuments and grave sites for ourselves and future generations.”
The decision by parade committee was supported by other members of the council, including vice mayor Paul Cunningham, who said he thinks its "important that we recognize history for what it was."
"If we don't fly that flag, that's totally our decision," Cunningham said. "I respect their decision. I agree that the romanticization of the South is ridiculous. … But at the same time, you've got to acknowledge all your history."
Councilman Steve Kozachik said that he supports the decision, but otherwise has issues with other aspects of the rodeo festivities namely the use of animals and the financial support it receives. The parade is the largest nonmotorized parade in the United States and part of the annual La Fiesta de Los Vaqueros rodeo, although the two are run by different entities.
A representative from the city said last week it did not provide any financial services for the parade this year but the city did provide in-kind services, such as bleachers, a stage and road sweeping following the event.
But Kozachik said that if that in-kind support was offered to other parades or civic events, everyone will "jump on it."
"The Confederate flag is a vestige of the civil war which was fought over slavery. It has no business being celebrated in an event being subsidized by taxpayer dollars," he said.
