A Republican member of the South Carolina House gave an impassioned speech on Wednesday night urging the immediate removal of the Confederate flag from the statehouse.
Representative Jenny Horne, sometimes shouting and fighting back tears, revealed during her speech that she was the descendant of Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy during the Civil War. But she urged the members of the South Carolina House, who were considering moves that delay or obstruct the flag’s removal, to look beyond themselves.
“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. For the widow of Sen. Pinckney and his two young daughters, that would be adding insult to injury,” Horne said.
In an interview with the Washington Post, Horne said that when she delivered her speech, it seemed like efforts to remove the flag quickly were failing. “If what I did changed the course of the debate, and I do believe it did, then it needed to be done,” Horne told the Post.
In the early hours of Thursday morning, the House voted 94 to 20 to remove the flag.
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.
— Jenny Horne (@JennyHorne) July 9, 2015
Governor Nikki Haley is expected to sign the bill today. The flag could be removed as soon as Friday.