Each morning and afternoon of April, Colonel Shelby K. Little wears an imitated Confederate uniform and displays three Confederate flags in front of the Williamson County Courthouse. Little educates individuals about Confederate history during the month of April, as do several other counties that recognize April as Confederate history month.
Little is a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV), a group inheriting the historical preservation duties of the United Confederate Veterans organization. According to the SVC website, members of the SCV defend Confederate history and educate individuals about the history and successes of the Confederacy prior to the end of the Civil War.
Like other SCV members, Little introduces Confederate history and the backgrounds of various Confederate flags during April. He has spoken about Confederate history to students at middle schools and passerby individuals in areas that he displays the Confederate flags (including the Georgetown Town Square, the University of Texas campus in Austin, and various other locations).
Some topics that Little and other SVC members educate individuals about include distinguishing various flags associated with the Confederacy, the successes and sacrifices of Confederate soldiers, and the Civil War and racial discrimination from the perspective of the Confederate states. Little, for example, exposes the parallels between the secession of the Confederate states to colonialists seeking independence from England during the American Revolution.
The SCV also includes an Education Committee that distributes fact sheets detailing the involvement of black, Hispanic, and American Indian soldiers in the Confederate army. Little said that he understands the hardships that people of color face due to having some Native American ancestry.
According the Little, he has not received any protestation against his practices besides a minor incident on the UT campus. In the case of disagreeing individuals, Little “confronts them with the truth” regarding the continued celebration of the Confederacy. In addition, the SCV website receives reports of violations of the Confederate heritage.
“The only group in the US institutionally allowed to receive discrimination is white Southern males,” Little said. “It comes with the territory.”