• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
Arts & EntertainmentSix Flags

Six Flags Pulls Down Confederate Flags

By
David Z. Morris
David Z. Morris
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
David Z. Morris
David Z. Morris
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 18, 2017, 4:58 PM ET

In response to national controversies about Confederate iconography, the Texas-based Six Flags amusement park has pulled down Confederate flags from park entrances in San Antonio, Arlington, and Georgia. Also removed were the flags of four other nations that have ruled over Texas, leaving only United States flags flying in their place.

“At Six Flags Over Texas we strive every single day to make people happy and to create a fun, thrilling and safe family friendly experience for our guests,” a representative said in a statement to Dallas’ NBC 5. “We always choose to focus on celebrating the things that unite us versus those that divide us. As such, we have changed the flag displays in our park to feature American flags.”

Six Flags has more than a dozen locations, including parks in California and New York. According to NBC 5, the flags were only being flown at the Texas and Georgia locations.

Last weekend’s fatal white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., was set off by a statue memorializing the Confederacy, and local governments have since been moving aggressively to remove similar symbols. Corporations have also been distancing themselves from white supremacist groups and symbols, notably denying services to far-right publications.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

Six Flags is in a unique position on the topic. It’s named for the six different governments that have controlled Texas since European settlement—France, Spain, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the Confederacy, and the United States—putting the park’s display of the Confederate flag within a clear historical context. And according to NBC 5, the version of the Confederate flag flown at the parks was not the “stainless banner” flag most associated with hate groups, but the less recognizable (and thus less inflammatory) “stars and bars” national flag of the Confederacy, which features a circle of seven stars.

That was part of the company’s rationale just yesterday, when it said it would not remove the Confederate flag. And, in fact, a majority of Americans support leaving Confederate monuments standing as historical symbols.

But with each passing day after the events in Charlottesville (with no small help from President Donald Trump), those symbols have become ever more strongly associated with white supremacism. That mounting pressure clearly makes them too big a risk for many companies to stomach.

 

About the Author
By David Z. Morris
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Arts & Entertainment

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Arts & Entertainment

One fan secretly recorded 10,000 concerts over 40 years. Now volunteers are racing to save the tapes before they disintegrate
Arts & EntertainmentMusic
One fan secretly recorded 10,000 concerts over 40 years. Now volunteers are racing to save the tapes before they disintegrate
By Christopher Weber and The Associated PressApril 8, 2026
1 day ago
Jimmy Donaldson, aka MrBeast
SuccessCareers
Self-made billionaire MrBeast says his work-life balance is nonexistent and calls it a ‘miracle’ if he works less than 15-hour days: ‘I live to work’
By Preston ForeApril 8, 2026
1 day ago
felecia
Successphilanthropy
MacKenzie Scott rewrote the rules of philanthropy. Who will follow her lead?
By Felecia HatcherApril 7, 2026
3 days ago
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, in Washington, DC, on March 11, 2026. (Photo: Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg/Getty Images)
NewslettersFortune Tech
OpenAI imagines a society with, you guessed it, super AI
By Andrew NuscaApril 7, 2026
3 days ago
Photo of Shayne Coplan
Politicsgambling
Polymarket apologizes after letting users bet on downed U.S. pilots in Iran: ‘It should not have been posted’
By Sasha RogelbergApril 6, 2026
3 days ago
Savannah Guthrie in a black turtleneck
PoliticsCrime
Savannah Guthrie returns to the ‘Today’ show for the first time in two months since her mom’s abduction
By The Associated Press and David BauderApril 6, 2026
3 days ago

Most Popular

The U.S. government is spending $88 billion a month in interest on national debt—equal to spending on defense and education combined
Economy
The U.S. government is spending $88 billion a month in interest on national debt—equal to spending on defense and education combined
By Fortune EditorsApril 9, 2026
13 hours ago
2 years ago, Saudi Arabia quietly canceled the ‘petrodollar’ deal with America that wired the world economy for 50 years. Then war broke out in Iran
Energy
2 years ago, Saudi Arabia quietly canceled the ‘petrodollar’ deal with America that wired the world economy for 50 years. Then war broke out in Iran
By Fortune EditorsApril 7, 2026
2 days ago
Gen Z doesn't want your full-time job. They want several part-time roles, and it's reshaping the entire workforce
Success
Gen Z doesn't want your full-time job. They want several part-time roles, and it's reshaping the entire workforce
By Fortune EditorsApril 9, 2026
17 hours ago
Self-made billionaire MrBeast says his work-life balance is nonexistent and calls it a ‘miracle’ if he works less than 15-hour days: ‘I live to work’
Success
Self-made billionaire MrBeast says his work-life balance is nonexistent and calls it a ‘miracle’ if he works less than 15-hour days: ‘I live to work’
By Fortune EditorsApril 8, 2026
1 day ago
The U.S. had a national debt ‘home run’ in its grasp, says Jamie Dimon. But the government did nothing, and now its best option is crisis management
Economy
The U.S. had a national debt ‘home run’ in its grasp, says Jamie Dimon. But the government did nothing, and now its best option is crisis management
By Fortune EditorsApril 8, 2026
2 days ago
Gen Z workers are so fearful AI will take their job they’re intentionally sabotaging their company’s AI rollout
AI
Gen Z workers are so fearful AI will take their job they’re intentionally sabotaging their company’s AI rollout
By Fortune EditorsApril 8, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.