Buying a Confederate flag became a little harder following the horrific Charleston massacre that left nine churchgoers dead attending Bible study in mid-June 2015.
According to police, Dylann Roof shot and killed parishioners inside Mother Emanuel AME Church. Now in jail, he’s currently awaiting trial and faces both federal and state charges.
In Roof’s alleged manifesto discovered online, he claimed he wanted to start a “race war.” On social media, he posed with the Confederate flag in several chilling photos, prompting many retailers including Walmart, Amazon, Sears and eBay to pull Confederate flag merchandise from its shelves.
For one black entrepreneur, this move surprisingly didn’t sit too well with him.
“I, like many Americans, was deeply saddened to see retailers across this great country pull Confederate flags from their shelves. Apparently, in 2015 it’s not “PC” to have pride in your history. Whatever happened to freedom of speech?” stated AJ Hall, the owner of BuyConfederateFlagsFromABlackGuy.com.
Hall’s webstore offers to take ‘some of the guilt’ out of flying the controversial flag by giving southerners the chance to shoot down the racism argument right away by supporting a black-owned business.
“I get it. It’s about heritage not hate, but while we’re being honest–white people buying Confederate flags from other white people can seem kind of suspicious–especially with the liberal media twisting everything around these days,” stated Hall. “If the Confederate flag was a symbol of racism, could you buy one from a black guy? Hell no!”
While Hall’s YouTube video about his business might cause some people to question the authenticity of it or wonder if he’s actually making a mockery of southerners–Hall says he’s just trying to make an honest living.
His flags can be purchased for $69.00 by clicking here.
Read more of our Q&A with Hall below:
1. Why did you launch the business?
It was in a response to how I was feeling about the recent controversy surrounding the Confederate flag.
I thought it was crazy that businesses pulled the Confederate flag from their shelves and off their sites, when it never crossed their minds to do so prior to the tragedy.
It all felt very disingenuous to me, and part of a constant ploy on the part of marketers to convince people that the businesses can have morals or values.
2. What’s your educational background?
I have a B.A. in Communication Studies. During college, and I competed on a collegiate speech team and coaches a high school speech team.
3. Where are you from and do you have any ties to the south?
I’m from the South Suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. One of my grandmothers and a few cousins live in North Carolina, and my mom, her husband and 3 of my siblings recently moved to South Carolina.
4. How many Confederate items have you sold to date and where do most of the purchases come from?
I only sell one package, which is the 3’x5′ flag with an 8″x10″ signed glossy of myself.
I’ve sold about 100.
The purchases have come from all over the country, and I’ve had a few from overseas as well. However, Texans have purchased the most flags from me.
5. How do you feel about South Carolina removing the flag from statehouse grounds?
It was the right thing to do. There is zero room on government property for any flags besides the state, city, and US flag. It has nothing to do with heritage, and everything to do with respect. If the Confederate flag is flying outside of a private Civil War museum, you wouldn’t find me complaining.
However, I would like to note, I had been researching the situation well before the events in Charleston.
I feel like I’m the only one who remembers that Nikki Haley defended the Confederate flag flying at the statehouse during her election and after. She made statements as late as fall of 2014 defending the flag.
During the gubernatorial debates, the democratic candidate said he would take the flag down, and Haley promised she wouldn’t. She betrayed all minorities in that moment, a true Uncle Tom, but no one remembers that.
Now everyone lauds her like she is some sort of hero for getting it taken down. She isn’t a hero, she’s just another politician changing her stance at the last second to appease the populace.
It’s bittersweet to see change happen because of something horrible, instead of people having the courage to stand up for what’s right in the first place.
6. What is your stance on the Civil War? (FYI—many southerners will tell you that slavery was not the deciding factor that started the war—but northern lawmakers imposing unfair taxation on southern goods.)
I believe that slavery was the primary reason for the Civil War. I believe this because that is what is written in every declaration of secession from every state in the CSA.
To believe otherwise contradicts the South’s own written history. It’s bizarre people think this is some sort of debate.
7. Where do you see your business several years do the road?
I look forward into expanding in to other morally dubious, but completely legal ventures.
8. Why has been the reaction from people you know in the black community as well as overall?
The reaction has been 100% positive from every person I’ve spoke to. I get calls from people who say they would never buy a confederate flag, but still wish me luck.
I expected there to be some controversy, but there has been zero.
9. Do you identify with any political party?
I do not identify with any political party. I’m conservative in some areas and liberal in others, just like everyone else.
10. Anything else worth mentioning?
George Zimmerman favorited one of my tweets. That was one of the most surreal moments of my life. He didn’t retweet it though, probably because he was afraid I’d cut in on his Confederate flag business.
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