Just recently, amid social upheaval following the killing of George Floyd, NASCAR decided to ban the Confederate flag. The decision was welcomed by most and rejected as infuriating by some, but there’s no controversy around General Lee, which famously displays the flag on its roof.
As far as regards a museum director, at least. Brian Grams, director of the Volo Auto Museum in Crystal Lake, Illinois, tells the Northwest Herald that he’s received no complaints about the Confederate flag on their most famous exhibit and, even if they did, they would still not remove it from display.
General Lee is, of course, the famous 1969 Dodge Charger from The Dukes of Hazzard television show that aired on CBS between 1979 and 1985. Some 300 cars were used throughout the production, but this one, which has been with the Volo Museum since 2005, is the only, all-original surviving copy from the first season. It was never used in the show, which explains why it survived.
Along the years, there’s been some talk about whether the Confederate flag, generally regarded as a symbol of racism, should be removed from the roof of General Lee. Grams argues that it’s “history” and declares that he’s not about to have some knee-jerk reaction to the social unrest in the country and remove the car from display.
“We feel the car is part of history, and people love it,” Grams explains. “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.”
“Several people have reached out with positive comments about us leaving it on display,” Grams continues, “complimenting us for leaving it there and not having a knee-jerk reaction to remove it like a lot of places are. It was a very popular TV show, and the show wasn't racist by any means. It was a wholesome, family show, so to speak.”
That aside, even if the show had been racist and, by association, the car that was such an iconic character in it, it would still be allowed on display at the museum. Or, as Grams puts it, if people take offense with the Confederate flag on a car, how offended will they be when they get to the WWII memorabilia section, which is littered with Nazi symbols?
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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