A Not So Star Spangled Banner

In a Nation deeply divided and searching for common ground, one would think a unifying theme would be the founding of our Great Nation, a Nation created under the guise of “No Kings” and a nation of “We the People”, vice the governmental opposite, “His Majesty”.

         If you thought this, you would be wrong. 

         Apparently, for the organizers of the Independence Day “Star Spangled South Riding 2026”, event in South Riding, Virginia, this is not the case. For them, in a rush to be inclusive, to be broadly welcoming, the organizers have excluded participation of a group whose membership consists exclusively of direct descendants of the Colonial Revolution. 

Below is a quote from their denial statement to a 100% non-political, 100% patriotic organization, in the 250^th year of our Nation’s founding and celebration:

         “As we finalize plans for this year’s Star-Spangled South Riding, we have made some updates to ensure the event remains broadly welcoming. The Colonial era Revolutionary flags have taken on new meanings to some in recent years and are no longer viewed as representing only their historical significance. Agree or disagree, these perceptions have become part of the broader context we have to consider.”  

To double down on the rejection, the organizers make the following closing remark: 

“As a result, we respectfully thank you for your past participation but sadly will not be including your group in this event for the foreseeable future.”

What was specifically rejected by the Not-So Star Spangled event organizers was a 24 foot parade float, whose riders are direct descendants of the Revolution, all in Colonial attire.  They reject the 3/8^th sized; ringing replica of the Liberty Bell, complete with a crack, and the inscription “”Proclaim LIBERTY Throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants Thereof” from Leviticus 25:10.  They reject the six foot replica of the “Liberty Enlightening the World”, aka Statue of Liberty.  They reject the replica of a naval cannon similar to one on Captain John Paul Jones’ ship, The Alfred, America’s first naval vessel.  They reject the diorama commemorating the ride of Paul Revere and the Battles of Lexington and Concord and the “Shot Heard Around the World”.  They reject a dozen plus pieces of Revolutionary War centric artwork by the likes of Trumball and Doolittle.  But the main cause of their rejection are the ten-plus Revolutionary War flags, proudly announcing “Independence!” to freedom seeking Colonists.

What was also rejected, was the past three years of involvement of the float in not only the parade, but the static event afterwards, where hundreds of people came to interact with the colonial attired descendants, ring the Liberty Bell and take selfies on the float and next to the Statue of Liberty.  The multi award-winning float is such a crowd pleaser and visual attraction, it was used as the backdrop of a 2-minute, 2023 Voice of America video short on how small towns celebrate Independence Day with their own traditions, giving the Spirit of Freedom its first international exposure.  

What was omitted from the organizer’s objection was the specific offending flag or sets of flags. Was it the Betsy Ross flag, whose 13 “broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous night” memorized in Francis Scott Key’s War of 1812’s poem and the subject of our Nation’s national anthem? Was it the “Appeal to Heaven” flag, whose wording appeals to Heaven’s primary occupant and Creator who has given mankind their “unalienable rights”? How about the Culpepper Minuteman flag, whose origins begin in Culpepper, Virginia? How about the Gadsden flag, whose “Don’t Tread on Me” text and snake is derived from Benjamin Franklin’s famous Join or Die cartoon of the mid 1770’s?

The specific set of flags which offends is unclear. What is clear is that even in the semiquincentennial celebration year, our Nation’s 250^th, our Nation cannot escape the destructive force of those who viscerally hate our Nation.  They reject our Nation’s Founding Fathers and those who pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to create a more perfect union centered on the concepts of individual freedoms and personal liberties. When symbols lose their shared meaning, even the founding of a nation becomes negotiable.

For the organizers for the Star-Spangled South Riding event, shame on you for excluding in the name of including. 

Fortunately, for the patriotic sponsors of the two Revolutionary War and Founding Father centric parade floats, the Spirit of Freedom and the Spirit of Liberty will be seen in 30+ other parades across the region. They will be in Washington, DC in the nationally televised Memorial Day parade, honoring those who died defending our nation.  They will be in the more local Memorial Day parade in Hamilton, Virginia, whose hometown charm could easily be the subject of a Norman Rockwell painting. The floats will be in the Nation’s primary July 4^th Parade in Philadelphia, whose route will take the Spirit of Freedom directly past the original Liberty Bell and Constitution Hall, the birthplace of American independence, and several other Independence Day parades across the region.  The Spirit of Freedom will proudly be seen in Veterans Day parades, Christmas parades, and other event parades throughout America’s 250^th celebratory year.

Where the Spirit of Freedom will not be seen is in the Star-Spangled South Riding 2026 parade.

What a shame.

Warner Workman is a retired intelligence officer and descendant of a colonial patriot.