On Monday, Williamson County commissioners discussed what the process might look like were the commission to support removing the Confederate battle flag from the official county seal.
That discussion came after a wave of emails were sent to commissioners in light of continued protests across the country centered on racism and police brutality, with a specific focus on violence against the black community.
Confederate symbolism has long come under scrutiny, with this recent wave of protests renewing widespread interest in removing Confederate monuments, the names of Confederate military personnel on buildings and use of the flag in public spaces. NASCAR became the latest organization Wednesday to ban the flag at its events.
On Wednesday, Gov. Bill Lee commented on the situation during a press conference in Nashville, and without taking a personal stance on the issue, said Williamson County commissioners should listen to community members in making their ultimate decision.
“I think the most important thing that [the Williamson County] community can do is communicate [and] speak their voice about what they want to have done,” Lee said. “Those community leaders should listen to the people in their community, and make decisions around that.”
Williamson County seal
The official seal of Williamson County.
The official seal of Williamson County was adopted in 1968, and depicts four distinct quadrants.
The lower left depicts a Bible in front of a church window, representing religion, the lower right shows farm animals, representing the importance of agriculture, and the upper right shows a school house, “illustrating the importance of education.”
The final quadrant - which has sparked the controversy - depicts a Confederate battle flag resting against a cannon, which “symbolizes the rich history in the county,” according to the Williamson County website.
The process of altering the county seal
The only governing body that has the authority to approve an alteration to the county seal is the Tennessee Historical Commission, which includes Lee himself as well as 29 other members. For the alteration to be approved, the commission would need to see a two-thirds vote in favor of modifying the seal.
If its members wished, the Williamson County Commission could draft and pass a resolution recommending the Tennessee Historical Commission to approve altering the seal, initiating the process. The final say on the matter would also come back to the Williamson County Commission.
Elected officials’ response
As of Wednesday, neither Lee or any of the Williamson County commissioners - save for one - have taken a public affirmative position on whether or not to alter the seal by removing the Confederate flag.
The one commissioner that did take a public position on the matter was Bert Chalfant, who wrote to the Home Page via email that he was not in favor of removing the Confederate flag from the seal, writing “it is simply history!”
When asked whether or not he would personally vote in favor of allowing the seal to be altered were it presented to the Tennessee Historical Commission, Lee said that he wasn’t familiar with the process and declined to take an affirmative stance on the matter.
Lee did, however, call for Williamson County commissioners to engage with their community in making its decision.
“Those community leaders themselves should engage in dialogue and have conversation around those subjects that are particularly important right now,” Lee said.
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