Little support for new NAACP flag boycott

'A whimper'
Even the Sons of Confederate Veterans, which countered the protests of 2000 with their own demonstrations in support of the banner, likes the way things are.

"Once the Senate and the House spoke and exerted the will of the people through their representatives, we accepted it. You don't see us out there protesting at the African-American history monument," said Don Gordon, chairman of the group's South Carolina heritage defense committee.

For now, most people who want to see the Confederate flag off statehouse grounds pin their hopes on the future and on young lawmakers such as Rep. Bakari Sellers, 23, a black Democrat from Denmark.

Sellers said he was embarrassed about the flag as South Carolina entered the national spotlight during the presidential primaries. But he also admits that — like many who drive past it everyday — he sometimes forgets it's there unless he happens to look up.

"People have lost hope in South Carolina for an improvement in race relations," he said.

Former Gov. Jim Hodges, who was in office when the flag was lowered from the dome, said he thinks South Carolina residents yet to be born will look at the flag one day and decide it doesn't belong.

"I think when it finally comes down, it will be with a whimper and not a bang," Hodges said.

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