The American Civil War ended more than 150 years ago when the Confederate Army surrendered to Union forces. But, many southern states like Mississippi still commemorate those who died fighting for secession to preserve slavery and states' rights.

Terry Bailey is a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. The Alabama native says the holiday celebrates his heritage and confederate soldiers.

 “The Confederate Veteran is just as much of a veteran as any other American, but the thing that strikes my heart more than anything else is what the confederate veterans did when the war was over with. They returned to a homeland that was devastated. They had to rebuild it, especially given the devastation and the defeat.”

 An annual Confederate Memorial Day ceremony is held in Biloxi at Beauvoir, the home of confederate President Jefferson Davis. Last year, the ceremony was streamed on Facebook as Bailey talked about the period when the war ended. 

Bailey said “Sadly our ancestors lived under the vindictive rule of reconstruction from 1865 to 1877. By 1877, they had begun to reclaim their place in society.”

During the reconstruction era, slavery was abolished, Black Americans gained the right to vote and held public office.

 

Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves signed a proclamation again this year, declaring April as Confederate Heritage Month, but it was not announced publicly.

In an email from Reeves’ press secretary, she says "For the last 30 years, five Mississippi governors, Republicans and Democrats alike, have signed a proclamation recognizing the state holiday and identifying April as Confederate Heritage Month," The statement goes on to say "Governor Reeves signed the proclamation because he believes we can all learn from our history."

The proclamation, which is viewed as divisive and insensitive, has drawn public outcry from across the nation. Members of the Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus are calling on the Governor to rescind it. Senator Angela Turner-Ford of West Point chairs the caucus. 

She says “The state does not need to be in the practice of perpetuating these cycles. We need courage, we need people to take a stand, and we also need individuals to be compassionate and considerate of one another.”

While supporters of the Confederacy minimize slavery as a central cause of the civil war, History Professor Robert Luckett of Jackson State University says that’s false. He says the preservation of slavery was specifically written in the declaration of secession. Luckett says the phrase "heritage" is often used to describe a historically inaccurate version of that period. 

 “A heritage that is harmful, inherently harmful and destructive for a more than a significant part of our population here in Mississippi to this day,” says Luckett. “And it’s frankly a reflection of entirely that white supremacist power structure that gets created in 1890, and over the next 100 years, 130 years up to today.”

Terry Bailey with the Sons of Confederate Veterans disputes the idea that confederate holidays are symbolic of white supremacy. “There were thousands and thousands and thousands of confederate soldiers who never returned home. And they put up a monument up to honor those who have fought and died and had never come home. I don’t think they ought to be [taken] down. I think we need to just see if we can’t get back to having a serious conversation about respecting each other's heritage and culture.”

"At some point, you just have to recognize that you're dealing in offense... The only thing you really can do is agree that it's just best to leave some things in the past and try to move forward."- Senator Angela Turner-Ford

Senator Angela Turner-Ford says it's time to stop glorifying Confederate symbols. She says they are a constant reminder of the mistreatment of Black people. “At some point, you just have to recognize that you’re dealing in offense. You’re hurting people, people have hurt. And there’s no way to really right those wrongs. The only thing that you really can do is agree that it’s just best to leave some things in the past and try to move forward.”

Last year, Mississippians overwhelmingly voted to adopt a new state flag without a confederate battle emblem. Advocates say this could be a sign that more people are ready to move away from the South's Confederate past, and towards a future of racial healing.