Texas Gov. Rick Perry said Wednesday that he opposes his state's allowing specialty license plates featuring the Confederate flag — despite his past defense of the historical value of Confederate symbols. The Republican presidential hopeful was in Florida for a fundraiser and told Bay News 9's Political Connections and the St. Petersburg Times that, “we don't need to be opening old wounds.”
The plates have been requested by the Sons of Confederate Veterans, a nonprofit that Perry has supported over the years. They show the group's logo, which is derived from the Confederate battle flag.
A Texas Department of Motor Vehicles board must approve the license plate, but its nine members are Perry appointees. They tied 4-4 on a vote on the matter in April because one member was absent and could take up the issue again next month.
It was the first time the governor has publicly commented on the proposed plate, with his office saying previously it was a matter for the board.
“This is great news,” said Hilary Shelton, director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's Washington Bureau. “Perry should be commended. With this kind of attitude, maybe we can actually see the healing of the wound he mentions.”
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