The Volo Auto Museum in Northern Illinois has to decided to continue displaying the infamous General Lee from Dukes of Hazard. Confederate flag painted on top of it, according to multiple reports.
The museum decided to keep the car, which features the confederate flag, citing that the flag celebrates Southern heritage and the TV show is a piece of history. Here is the statement from Brian Grams, the director of Volo Auto Museum:
“We feel the car is part of history, and people love it. We’ve got people of all races and nationalities that remember the TV show and aren’t offended by it whatsoever. It’s a piece of history, and it’s in a museum.”
This comes on the heels of NASCAR banning the use and display of the flag, the state of Mississippi deciding to revamp it's state flag (which featured the confederate flag in part of the design), as well as the toppling of many statutes throughout the nation on the basis of racist representation.
Dukes of Hazard's Cooter, played by Ben Jones, has celebrated the auto museum for their decision with a statement on Facebook:
"This story about the Volo Auto Museum in Volo, Illinois is a testament to the common sense and courage of the people in the Heartland of America."
Grams, the museum director, has defended the display of the flag on the General Lee to Nazi artifacts displayed in its military section:
“If we're going to get complaints about the General Lee being here, we’ve got much worse items over in our military building."