The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Confederate flag not to be sold at 2020 fair
Vietnam Veteran sells Civil War historic items, cannot attend fair
A Vietnam War veteran who sells historical Civil War items cannot set up shop, fair board president says.
The fight against the sale of the Confederate flag at the Lorain County Fair apparently has won.
Kim Meyers, president of the Lorain County Fair Board, said there will not be the sale of Civil War memorabilia at the fair this year, but not because the fair is banning the sale of Confederate flags.
“We talked about the vendors that cancelled this year due to the coronavirus, and how we are going to fill those spaces during our meeting (July 14),” Meyers said. “One of those vendors is Russell Bissett, a Vietnam War veteran, who sells Civil War memorabilia.”
Meyers said Bissett was the last vendor at the fair who sold the Civil War items.
“He sells the Civil War items, including flags,” Meyers said. “He sells a bunch of different shirts for sports teams. He sells over 100 different kinds of items and he has been with us for over 30 years.
“He’s from West Virginia, and he can’t make the trip up because a lot of the fairs he goes to have cancelled. He’s part of the circuit of fairs vendors use during the season from the end of May to September. The economy has been tough with the pandemic for all businesses, and it’s the same for our vendors.”
Meyers, when asked about those who want the Confederate flag and symbol banned from the fair permanently, said the fair board does not want to sensor what is at the event.
“We’ve been over this before, we are not interested in censoring something because the Constitution protects that right,” he said. “It protects the things we like and what we don’t like.
“It protects the right to burn the American flag if you want. We can’t start censoring things. There are a lot of things people don’ t like. Some people don’t like that we have beer vendors at the fair, some don’t like that we sell flags for gay pride and Pittsburgh Steelers. Some don’t like that we allow people to give out free Bibles at the fair. If we started allowing censorship, we wouldn’t sell anything.”
Caravan protest
During the fair board meeting, a group organized a caravan starting in Elyria that ended up in downtown Wellington.
The trip was put together as a way to protest the selling of the flag by recognizing Joseph Robinson, an African American Union soldier from Wellington.
Members of the Wellington Justice Collective put temporary memorials of Robinson at two corners of Union Park on state Route 58, just south of downtown Wellington for the caravan to see as they drove by.
“It’s a sign of unity against the flag, and I want to show support for what that Wellington Justice Collective is doing in Wellington,” said Jeanine Donaldson, executive director of the YWCA for Elyria, and the Fair Minded Coalition of Lorain County, in which she is a member. “The folks at the fair will know we are there, and why we’re doing it.”
Marilyn Wainio, a member of the collective and a local historian, said the push is being made because the fair had not changed its stance on the matter.
“The goal is making sure the Confederate items aren’t on display to make it fair for everyone that wants to go to the fair,” Wainio said.
“Jeanine said she found out about the group in Wellington and wanted to come on down, and this is something that has been going on since 2015 ... and the fair board hasn’t changed.
“It’s great what folks are doing in the county, but I always had the feeling a group in Wellington was needed to really make the change happen.”
Wainio said the selling of the flag contradicts the support of veterans.
“The people who don’t want to get rid of the Confederate flag, are also people who want to support the veterans,” she said. “I don’t understand that. They support some of the veterans I guess, but there are about 150 Civil War soldiers that are buried here.
“I feel it disrespects those on the Union side. So, to me that’s a disconnect because, today, we are standing in Union Park.”
Tim Simonson, a longtime resident of Wellington, said it’s time to move on from the flag.
“It’s pretty much a protest of the flag being displayed and sold,” Simonson said. “I just feel it’s gotten a little out of hand, and it’s time to retire it.
“I come from a family of abolitionists, and that’s where I stand, too.”
According to Wainio’s research, in 1862 when the Village of Wellington needed men to fill the required quota, and Joseph Robinson stepped up to meet that call.
Against the warnings of his family and friends, on Aug, 1, 1862, Joseph enlisted as a teamster in Company F of the 103rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry.
The 103rd OVI was a local Civil War unit comprised of men from Cuyahoga, Medina and Lorain counties, and Co. F was made up mostly of Lorain County men, many from Wellington.
On Dec. 28, 1862, Joseph went on an errand to the depot in Frankfort, Ky.
He was in the company of two other officers’ servants and while the three young soldiers were returning from the depot, Robinson was “shot dead” by a patrol guard of the city.
“I wanted to do more research on Joseph Robinson because I feel he should be remembered,” Wainio said.
Raising awareness
The founder of the Wellington Justice Collective, Bryce Gibbs, said created the group to educate others.
“I’ve lived in Wellington most of my life, and my family has dealt with a lot of racial tensions and comments,” Gibbs said. “I wrote about my experiences in my Facebook post, and I got a lot of responses.
“That’s kind of how it got started.”
Gibbs said the group is looking to raise awareness.
“There is some ignorance out there, and I want to expand folks’ understanding on what’s going on in their own community,” he said. “It’s about having that conversation, and trying to make the community a better place for all to live in.
“If anyone is interested, they can message me on Facebook and keep the conversation going.”