In a significant move, the Virginia Senate on Tuesday voted 23-17 in favor of a bill that could potentially revoke the tax-exempt status of the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) within the state.
The UDC, established in 1894, is an organization of women's groups that provided aid to soldiers during the Civil War. Post-war, their efforts were directed towards supporting war veterans and erecting monuments in their honor.
An additional measure, aimed at compelling the UDC and several related groups to pay property taxes, also received Senate approval. However, it will require the endorsement of the House members before it can be appended to the original bill and forwarded to Governor Glenn Youngkin for his signature.
The bill, proposed in January by Democratic House Delegate Alex Askew, seeks to "eliminate the exemption from state recordation taxes for the Virginia Division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy and eliminate the tax-exempt designation for real and personal property owned by the Virginia Division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy and the General Organization of the United Daughters of the Confederacy."
The additional measure also proposes to revoke the exempt status of the Confederate Memorial Literary Society and the Stonewall Jackson Memorial, Incorporated.
As reported by ABC8, Askew argued that the state's tax code should mirror our values and aspirations for the Commonwealth. He noted that "historic organizations like NAACP and other groups that are really moving things and have had connections within our community in pushing what we believe forward" don't receive any benefits.
"We know that the United Daughters of the Confederacy has continued to push the narrative of the lost cause and we don't need to continue to support that in our tax code," Askew added, emphasizing the need to reconsider who we grant special privileges to and what they represent.
The 'lost cause' narrative, as defined by Encyclopedia Virginia, suggests that secession, not slavery, was the primary cause of the Civil War. It advocates for the reverence of Confederate soldiers, argues that the Confederacy could have triumphed had the Union not had superior manpower and resources, and asserts that African Americans were unprepared for freedom.
The UDC has refuted allegations of propagating such a narrative. In a statement on its website, the group "totally denounces any individual or group that promotes racial divisiveness or white supremacy ... We call on these people to cease using Confederate symbols for their abhorrent and reprehensible purposes."
The organization, which has preserved numerous statues and monuments commemorating their Confederate ancestors, argues that these should not be perceived as offensive or pro-slavery.
In a statement, the group said, "To some, these memorial statues and markers are viewed as divisive and thus unworthy of being allowed to remain in public places. To others, they simply represent a memorial to our forefathers who fought bravely during four years of war. These memorial statues and markers have been a part of the Southern landscape for decades."
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