(ATLANTA - June 14, 2013) Amid the festivities and history presentations at last week's annual reunion of the Sons of Confederate Veterans in Georgia, reports were given on the organization's budget, current projects, and overall strength. The reports show the Southern heritage organization is the strongest that it has been since the state flag fight more than a decade ago, and plans were put in place to make the SCV much more effective in the areas of heritage preservation, education, and litigation for heritage defense.
Meeting in Statesboro, Georgia, the annual Reunion of the Sons drew delegates representing "camps" -- as the organization refers to its local chapters, in keeping with the historical origins of the heritage organization -- from all across the largest state east of the Mississippi. Special music and speakers on historical subjects such as "Camp Lawton," a Confederate POW camp located near Statesboro during the War, entertained and educated the delegates and invited guests at the Reunion; and vendors with everything from relics to books to bumper stickers to expensive oil paintings of Southern heroes added to the festivities. But it was the business session on Saturday which brought most of the delegates to the Reunion since the organization analyzes projects and revenues from the previous year and forges a strategy to achieve objectives in the coming fiscal year.
Among the announcements during this year's reports were signs that the Sons as an organization has become more efficient at accomplishing its goals... and better equipped to win its battles. One of the first orders of business on Saturday was the adoption of a motion to nearly triple the amount of funds allocated by the Georgia Division for litigation in potential legal battles for "Heritage Defense." The Georgia Division of the SCV has successfully led the heritage defense in several incidents which were ultimately settled out of court, and another current heritage violation is awaiting a court date in Ringgold, Georgia. Legislation passed in recent years by the Georgia General Assembly to protect Confederate monuments and displays has given the SCV the tools needed to effectively fight the attempts by advocates of "political correctness" and to win those cases both in and out of court. The increase in the amount of funding set aside by the Georgia Division makes it a much more powerful player in fighting heritage violations across the state and shows the Division's determination to win those battles.
Also included in the reports was the announcement that the current year's ending funds were greater than anticipated due to private donations and an increasing number of Georgians joining the SCV as "life members." The Executive Council of the Division also unveiled some of the projects for the new fiscal year including ten new 60 second "history segments" which begin broadcasting statewide on radio this month and thirteen 30 minute television segments on "The War in Georgia" which are currently in the early stages of production. The audio CD produced by the Georgia SCV entitled "The Truth About the Confederate Battle Flag" received a round of applause at the announcement that more than 100,000 copies of it have now been sold, making it one of the most widely circulated educational tools of any non-profit organization in the country.
The Georgia SCV thanked the local chamber of commerce for the extremely warm welcome which had been extended in exchange for the opportunity to be the host city of the 2013 Reunion.
For more information, please contact Jack Bridwell, Division Commander for the Georgia Sons of Confederate Veterans at 1-866-SCV-in-GA or view information online at
www.GeorgiaSCV.org.
