On Saturday 26 June 2021 at 4 p.m. the Jefferson Davis Chair at Confederate Circle in Old Live Oak Cemetery in Selma, Alabama, was rededicated. The chair was stolen in March 2021 by a group named "White Lies Matter", and there was world-wide publicity about the theft. The "ransom" was to have a banner displayed for 24 hours at the UDC building in Richmond on April 8, the date General Lee surrendered. UDC President General Linda Edwards would not give in to the "ransom". Law enforcement found and arrested the criminals in New Orleans, and the memorial chair was located and returned to Live Oak Cemetery.
Tyrone Crowley, member of the Prattville Dragoons SCV Camp, and re-enactor as Confederate President Jefferson Davis, was the keynote speaker at the Rededication. He spoke about the later years of Davis's life, including 1886 when he visited Montgomery, Atlanta, and Savannah with his daughter, Varina Ann, known as “Winnie”, who was born in 1864 and so became known as "Daughter of the Confederacy". Thousands cheered and applauded at any stop they made, because the Southern people recognized Davis as a martyr who had sacrificed so much for the Southern people, including the two years he spent without trial in prison after the war then was released on bail. The Montgomery Advertiser newspaper stated that over 30,000 were present at the celebration in Montgomery in 1886 when Davis came to dedicate the cornerstone of the Confederate Monument at the Capitol.
After the Rededication Ceremony, many of those present made pictures sitting or standing next to the chair. Pictured here are keynote speaker Tyrone Crowley, Selma UDC Chapter 53 President Pat Godwin, and UDC President General Linda Edwards.
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