Rick Perry Changes His Mind on the Confederate Flag

On Wednesday, we learned that Governor Rick Perry has changed his mind about the state displaying the Confederate flag. In the past, Perry has supported the state displaying the Confederate flag. Perry stated that he does not support the Confederate battle flag appearing on Texas state license plates.

I issued the following statement upon learning Governor Perry's new position:

"We are pleased that Governor Perry agrees with the more than 22,000 Texans who have petitioned the Texas DMV to not put this hateful image on our state's license plates. Since the Governor appointed all nine members on the DMV board, we hope he makes sure they vote down the state sanctioned use of this racist relic. We further hope that Jerry Patterson and the Sons of Confederate Veterans will not tie up the courts and legal system on this unnecessary matter so that we can focus on the important issues facing Texas."

We would like to thank you, the Progress Texas community, for raising this issue to the public debate. Though the people who want to put this racist relic on our state license plate don't believe the public should have any say in the matter, we think your voices matter, and we're proud that you've made them heard.

But it's not over, yet. The DMV could still vote on this issue, and the proponents of the Confederate battle flag are threatening to take the issue to the courts just so they can put this hateful image on their license plate. We thank you for the work so far, but it's not over yet!

Below are some of the news clips featuring Perry's decision to oppose the Confederate flag on Texas license plates.

• Associated Press: "Perry opposes Confederate license plates in Texas"
• Reuters: "Perry opposes Confederate flag license plates"
• Austin American-Statesman: "Perry says he opposes Confederate license plate"
• Houston Chronicle: "Perry wants to put Confederate license plate issue to rest"
• San Antonio Express News: "Perry changes stance on plate"
• Dallas Morning News: "Perry doesn't want Confederate flag license plates"
• Texas Tribune: "Perry Doesn't Support Confederate Flag License Plates"
• American Independent: "Perry opposes Texas license plate featuring Confederate flag"