{"id":757,"date":"2017-08-02T04:00:51","date_gmt":"2017-08-02T08:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/memory\/?p=757"},"modified":"2017-07-24T16:26:09","modified_gmt":"2017-07-24T20:26:09","slug":"up-for-elimination","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/memory\/2017\/08\/02\/up-for-elimination\/","title":{"rendered":"Museum of the Confederacy: I Am Sorry My Dear, but You Are Up for Elimination"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Joshua Kim<\/strong><\/p>\n

Picture this. You, an innocent, pop-culture savvy, Korean-American student at the University of Richmond, exploring the Museum of the Confederacy<\/a>. You read the sign in the entrance:<\/p>\n

\"Blogpost3_Kim_Photo1\"<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

“The leaders of those states acted because they believed that the election of Abraham Lincoln as U.S. President threatened the South\u2019s interests. Lincoln\u2019s Republican Party…opposed the expansion of slavery into the western territories. The expansion of slavery and the return of fugitive slaves had been sources of serious tension between South and North since the Mexican War (1846-1848). …Only in 1860-1861 did those tensions lead to secession.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cool. Awesome. Sweet. You feel reassured that the museum will be inclusive of those who were enslaved by white-colonial Americans, aka Africans. So you begin your self-led tour of the\u00a0museum.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Blogpost3_Kim_Photo2\"<\/a><\/p>\n

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6?<\/p>\n

Around six pictures of Black people, including the advertisement to become a member of the museum\u2019s club, found in this three-level building. Six.<\/p>\n

The photo on the left — advertising museum membership — was actually the first photo of Black people I found in the museum. It rests on the second floor<\/p>\n

This has to be a mistake.<\/p>\n

After spending weeks\u00a0working with the Race & Racism at the University of Richmond Project — weeks of investigative archival work, of searching against the grain to illuminate the stories of minority students on campus — you find only five or six pictures of Black people in the Museum of the Confederacy. A museum dedicated to the history of the Confederate South, which enslaved thousands upon thousands of Africans–only five or six images of Black people, and only half of them actual enslaved people.<\/p>\n

And then you see RuPaul.<\/p>\n

RuPaul<\/a> is an actor, television personality, singer, and perhaps most notably, one of the most well-known drag queens in the world. RuPaul\u2019s accolades include 11 studio albums, numerous television and movie appearances, and his show RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race<\/em> , which won a Primetime Emmy Award in 2016.<\/p>\n

So why was RuPaul in the Museum of the Confederacy? Because he was garbed head-to-toe in a glamorous Confederate-flag dress.<\/p>\n

\"Blogpost3_Kim_Photo3\"<\/a>
RuPaul played the role of a Drag Queen \u2018Rachel Tensions\u2019 in the film, To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar\u00a0(1995). She donned this iconic Confederate dress during one of the first scenes of the movie in which she was passing down her crown to two other drag queens.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As surprising as it was to see RuPaul in the Museum of the Confederacy, it made sense. RuPaul wore that dress in the movie, To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar<\/a><\/em>\u00a0(1995), where he played the character of — yes, you guessed it — a drag queen. At its simplest, the film could be interpreted as social commentary on masculinity, women’s empowerment, and most importantly the cultures of drag and the South.<\/p>\n

There are many interpretations as to why RuPaul wore this dress, but many critics have come to agree that it was most certainly a political statement. RuPaul — a Black, queer, drag queen–wearing a Confederate flag dress could only mean one thing: f&^% you, Confederacy.\u00a0(People actually were offended by her wearing the dress, too).<\/a><\/p>\n

Quite frankly, that was my interpretation as well.<\/p>\n

When I saw the photo, it screamed \u201cSHADE. READ. DRAG HUH.\u201d (Shade – casual, subtle yet obvious insult. Read – educated, well thought out insult\/joke, typically used as an underhanded compliment. Drag – an insult, overt).<\/p>\n

Until I read the caption:<\/p>\n

\"Blogpost3_Kim_Photo4\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cDrag queen RuPaul donned a sequined evening gown for her role as \u201cMiss Rachel Tensions\u201d in the 1995 comedy, \u2018To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar\u2019 (also starring Patrick Swayze, Wesley Snipes, and John Leguizamo). This portrayal challenged several stereotypes about gender, race, and historical symbols.\u201d<\/p>\n

I do not know the intentions of whoever wrote this caption, but what I do know is that this caption is very misleading. To anyone who knows nothing about drag, the caption leads you to believe that RuPaul was somehow trying humanize the Confederacy.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook at this black, queer drag queen wearing this historical symbol! Told you it wasn\u2019t racist.\u201d<\/p>\n

Drag is political<\/a>.<\/p>\n

RuPaul wearing a glamorous Confederate flag dress was not an attempt to praise the flag from an outside perspective, but rather as a way to diminish its value; to use his outsider status to diminish the sentiment behind the flag.<\/p>\n

To many people, the Confederate flag is a symbol of pride and heritage — one that leaves out a history of enslavement in favor of sweet tea and Chevy trucks. So, for this queer, Black drag queen to wear this dress is to make a statement; what does it mean when an outsider to Confederate culture chooses to wear the dress in such a queer, black fashion?<\/p>\n

Heresy. Pure, utter heresy. And that\u2019s not just me who thinks that:<\/p>\n

\"Blogpost3_Kim_Photo5\"<\/a>
\u201cYes, that is RuPaul…in all his\/her glory, mocking our colors, and on display inside YOUR Museum of the Confederacy. …Yesterday, Va Flaggers visited the Museum of the Confederacy at Appomattox, and were outraged to discover a highly offensive display featuring a life-sized photo of cross-dresser RuPaul, wearing a dress with an image of the Confederate Battle Flag….National Sons of Confederate Veterans Leadership…quickly issued a public statement of condemnation.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Heritage, not hate?<\/p>\n

All in all, I was quite disappointed with the way the Museum of the Confederacy chose to curate its site. It is 2017. Come on. It\u2019s about damn time to finally include enslaved Africans into the history of the Confederacy. I want to see those who resisted, those who assimilated, even those who did nothing! I just want to finally see a Confederate history that\u2019s not, well, so white.<\/p>\n

In conclusion, I end this post with the words of RuPaul himself:<\/p>\n

Museum of the Confederacy, Sashay, Away.<\/p>\n

Joshua Hasulchan Kim<\/strong>\u00a0is from Colonial Heights, Virginia. He is a sophomore at the University of Richmond who is double majoring in Journalism and French. Joshua is involved in various clubs on campus: He is the co-president of Block Crew dance crew, the opinions editor for the\u00a0Collegian<\/a>newspaper, and is the Co-Director of Operations for the Multicultural Lounge Building Committee. Joshua joined the project as part of the Spring 2017 independent study (RHCS 387)\u00a0and is currently expanding this research\u00a0with the support of an A&S Summer Research Fellowship.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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