South Carolina Representative Jenny Horne delivered a rousing plea Thursday for the House of Representative to pass the bill seeking to ban the Confederate flag from the statehouse grounds. Many believed this has turned the tide for the proposal, which has already passed the state Senate. The House has been agonizing over the bill, dragging an emotional debate for at least 13 hours. The speech, which was caught on video that has swept the Internet since, showed the impassioned Charleston representative making her case in tears.
Visibly trembling, Horne stressed, "I cannot believe that we do not have the heart in this body to do something meaningful such as take a symbol of hate off these grounds on Friday."
The bill did not appear to enjoy as much support as was indicated in a recent poll that HNGN reported earlier. It turned out many lawmakers are intending to block the bill. Representative Michael Pitts, for instance, argued, "I grew up holding that flag in reverence because of the stories of my ancestors carrying that flag into battle," in an interview by the Christian Science Monitor. Lawmakers introduced nit-picking stipulations such as the addition of new flagpole, digging up of flower beds or the need to secure budget for the museum where the flag is to be housed, CNN reported. Horne had had enough. With an initially calm demeanor, she proceeded on berating her colleagues for the amendments, which she said add insult to injury, referring to the death of Senator Clementa Pinckley in the hands of a shooter motivated by the flag and racism.
The interest generated by Horne's speech is also partly driven by the fact that she is a descendant of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Her speech effectively vanquished the flag of her forefather, the Washington Post reported. "I'm sorry, I have heard enough about heritage... remove this and do it today because this issue is not getting any better with age," Horne argued as seen in the video.
At the end of the session, the bill to ban the flag was passed, with the House voting 94-20. Horne tweeted the development with elation, saying she is "proud of her colleagues for doing right thing."
It wasn't easy. It wasn't without emotion. But I'm so proud of my colleagues for doing the right thing. The Confederate flag is coming down.
— JennyHorne (@JennyHorne) July 9, 2015
