The four-day CMA Fest in Nashville, one of the largest in the country, will be held June 9-12 after a two-year hiatus due to the Covid pandemic.
The Confederate flag ban is part of the CMA’s new policy to protect fan safety, the organization said in a press release in Tennessee.
“This year’s CMA Fest is our first big fan event in almost three years. We have always had this policy Protect the safety of our fans “And prohibit discrimination, but we felt it was important to further refine our language to clarify what will be and what will not be tolerated,” the statement read.
The statement did not discuss flag safety issues in detail, but battle flags can be frightening and annoying and a hotbed of fighting and violence.
“Our event policy … states that any conduct that causes fear to one of our attendees for their personal safety will not be permitted and this includes any display of the Confederate flag,” the statement.
The move came amid growing criticism over the display of the Confederate flag and monuments.
The flag has in the past been seen as a symbol of the southern roots of country music, with little sensitivity to the maintenance of slavery in the Confederate struggle. But the adoption of racist emblems has changed as more and more black artists have become involved in the genre and as artists and industry leaders have fought for racial equality in country music.
Luke Combs, who will appear at CMA Fest, apologized last year for appearing in front of Confederate flags in 2015 and for taking pictures of the flag.
“There’s no justification for these photos,” Combs told National Public Radio. “As a young man, it was an image that made sense to me. Now I know how painful this image is for others.”
Combs added: “I want people to feel welcomed by country music and our community. At the time these images existed, I didn’t know what this world and African American artists in Nashville were saying, saying, ‘Dude, I really want to go in, make a deal and do it, but how can I help make them popular. photos? photos?’ And so I apologize for that. “
The flag has long been banned at many other festivals and events.
“There’s nothing to be ashamed of when it comes to NASCAR racing. So it starts with the Confederate flags.” Get them out of here, “NASCAR driver Buba Wallace told National Public Radio after the association banned the flags in 2020.
Source: Huffpost
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.