Del. Democrats urge candidates not to ride in carriages at Return Day over confederate flag controversy

GEORGETOWN, Del. – The Delaware Democratic Party is urging its elected officials not to ride in the carriages at this year’s Return Day in Georgetown. The move by party officials comes amid ongoing controversy over the confederate flag that flies at the Marvel Museum, which provides some of the carriages used in the event’s parade.

Democratic party officials passed a resolution urging elected officials in their own party to refuse to ride in the carriages at Return Day, an event where candidates from both sides come together to ‘bury the hatchet’ with a parade through downtown.

“We are setting that reminder that, ya know, hey we’ve got our differences but we’re coming together and the confederate flag doesn’t, it’s antithetical to that sentiment and we can’t have that,” explained Travis Williams, Executive Director of the Delaware Democratic Party. “After an election, we all have to come together and come back to the table and get work done for each other, for Delawareans, and the confederate flag kind of flies in the face of that sentiment.”

The resolution stems from the 14th District Democratic Committee in Sussex County after one if its members, Patricia Magee, spoke out and demanded action.

“I proposed a resolution that we ask all of the elected officials not to ride in the carriages until the flag is removed and placed inside the museum,” Magee told our Rob Petree. “I’m hoping that the people that get elected will just ride in their own cars and not use the carriages.”

Magee’s referring to the flag that currently flies outside of the Marvel Museum, which is run by the Georgetown Historical Society, which provides some of the carriages used in the event.

For years, local civil rights organizations, elected officials, and concerned citizens have called for the flag to be taken down. The Delaware Grays’ Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) installed the monument where the flag flies back in 2007.

The controversy surrounding the flag was revived this summer when the Georgetown Town Council voted to approve thousands of dollars in taxpayer funding for the museum.

47 ABC News has reached out to the Historical Society multiple times for comment on the matter with no response.

The Georgetown Historical Society did release a statement over the summer refusing to take the flag down:

“The GHS intends to keep its word to SCV, particularly on the choice of flags to adorn the Memorial, and call on all citizens of good character and good faith to commit to the environment of unity, pluralism, and tolerance demonstrated at the unveiling on May 12, 2007, allowing those who chose to honor their dead to do so with respect for their election, all in furtherance of the advancement of education and history that defines the noble object of GHS.”

Their statement was released on the heels of the ignited controversy that has been a topic of discussion for years in the Georgetown community. In July, the Georgetown Town Council approved over $24,000 to pay for repairs at the museum, a move that outraged some residents who argue the organization should receive no public funding unless they take down a confederate flag that flies on the grounds.

47 ABC spoke with Sussex County Return Day President Debbie Jones who told us that she was unaware of the call for candidates not to ride in the carriages, but if that’s what they want then event officials are prepared to accommodate their requests for the parade.

“Nobody has come to me and said they were not going to ride in the carriages or the vehicles provided by us,” Jones stated. “They certainly can provide their own vehicle, fill out a parade entry form, and our parade chair will line them up accordingly.”

Multiple calls to Georgetown Historical Society President Jim Bowden have went unanswered.

Sussex County Return Day is scheduled to take place Thursday, November 10, 2022.