We, the undersigned residents of Arkansas, petition that the state’s General Assembly honor the United States of America (USA) through the removal from the state flag the commemoration of the Confederate States of America (CSA), and that the assembly do so by adopting House Bill 1736 as it was originally proposed with bipartisan co-sponsors in March 2019 by then Representative Charles Blake of Pulaski County.

Brief explanation:

• In 1913 the state of Arkansas adopted its first state flag, which included no commemoration of the CSA.
• In 1923 and 1924 the Arkansas General Assembly was dominated by the Ku Klux Klan, and it added a star to the state flag to represent and commemorate the CSA. This star was placed ABOVE the star representing the United States.
• The legislation to add the Confederate star and move it above the star representing the US was proposed by Representative Neil Bohlinger of Pulaski County, who was elected as a publicly-known Klansman and Klan-endorsed candidate.
• The CSA was an entity that existed for the purpose of maintaining slavery and racial supremacy ideology.
• Many Arkansans did not support the CSA, and approximately a fifth of the Arkansas soldiers who served in the Civil War fought on the side of the Union.
• The KKK in the 1920s and today was/is an avowedly white supremacist organization that harassed, hated, and discriminated against African Americans, Native Americans, Jews, Germans, Italians, Irish, Catholics, immigrants, and numerous other groups. This does not represent the ethics and diversity of Arkansans today.
• The CSA star also undermines the patriotism of Arkansans.

Current symbolism:

• The blue star above the word “ARKANSAS” commemorates the state’s membership in the CSA.
• The three blue stars below “ARKANSAS” represent the three nations that have held jurisdiction over the state’s territory: France, Spain, and the USA.

Requested change:

• That the state General Assembly adopt House Bill 1736 as it was proposed by Representative Blake in March of 2019.
• That the current star that commemorates the CSA instead commemorate the USA.
• That the Native American Nations that once inhabited the state’s territory be commemorated by the star that currently stands for the USA.
• That in making these changes all commemorations of the CSA and its ideology are removed from the state flag.

Additional context:

• House Bill 1736 can be found here.
• For historical context, please read a recent op-ed written by Professor Kenneth Barnes at the University of Central Arkansas. It can be found here.
• The first organization in Arkansas to support this petition was the Graduate-Professional Student Congress of the University of Arkansas. That organization's resolution can be found here.