“I listened to the comments, the feelings and emotions of people before the board and what they think is best for the state,”- Johnny Walker, TxDMV Board Member (Dallas Morning News)

The tide is turning in Texas.

Yesterday, the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles unanimously rejected putting the Confederate flag on Texas license plates. As the Austin American-Statesman reported:

In an 8-0 vote, the state Department of Motor Vehicles' governing board turned down an application by the Sons of Confederate Veterans for a plate emblazoned with the flag. It was the first time the board turned down a proposal for a specialty plate since the agency began operating in November 2009. The board has approved 89 plates.

The historic vote could not have happened without you and your decision to speak out against the plates.

We started this campaign in May because we believe Texans do not support or approve of the use of this racist relic in any form. At the time, we were told the Confederate plate would likely be approved. Governor Perry needed to appoint one more member to the TxDMV board, and Perry had a history of supporting the display of the Confederate flag in state buildings. The decision seemed inevitable.

Then you stood up and made your voices heard. In a few months, over 30,000 Texans contacted the TxDMV board members and told then to reject this racist relic. You showed your opposition on Facebook and Twitter, where thousands of you shared our actions with your friends and gave this small issue before a new state agency a national spotlight.

Our months of action culminated in yesterday’s TxDMV board meeting. At the meeting, we could see the momentum we helped build over months come to a point. We were proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with the elected officials, pastors, and veterans that went to the public meeting and spoke out against putting the Confederate flag on the license plate.

Together, we made history. However, our work is not done.

The Sons of Confederate Veterans have already said they are preparing to file a lawsuit, which means we must continue the fight to ensure the state of Texas does not allow this racist relic to appear on our license plates. But for now, we are affirmed in our collective belief that we Texans can have great power in our democracy when we show up and make our voices heard.

Congratulations on your efforts, and thank you for being a part of our community.

Sincerely,

Matt, Mark, and Phil