Winneshiek County Resident Challenges Fair Funding Over Confederate Railroad Booking

Your contribution today guarantees Decorah News is asking the questions tomorrow. Act now. DECORAH — Winneshiek County residents on Monday morning directly challenged the Board of Supervisors over its decision to allocate $25,000 in public funding to the Winneshiek County Fairgrounds, tying the funding to controversy surrounding a scheduled performance by the band Confederate Railroad, as well as Supervisor Chair Dan Langreck's recent defense of the band's booking. Resident Kevin Lee told supervisors that while the county may not directly control fair programming, its financial contribution connects it to decisions made by the fair board, including the booking of Confederate Railroad, a band whose name and imagery reference the Confederacy and the battle flag of the Confederate States of America. Langreck asserted that the Winneshiek County Board of Supervisors "has nothing to do with entertainment at the Winneshiek County Fair." Langreck stopped Lee mid-explanation, questioning the relevance of his statements to the item listed on the agenda. Lee argued that the issue is not simply about "entertainment," but about how public money is used and what it signals to the community. "This fair is not a private event … it is supported by the county resources," Lee said, adding that public funding carries "public accountability." Lee also provided historical context about the Confederacy in a written statement and argued that such symbols remain deeply harmful to some community members: "Members of the Board, Thank you for the opportunity to speak today. I am here because county funding and institutional support are being provided to the county fair where the Confederate flag will be displayed. Regardless of individual intentions, that choice places responsibility with this Board. When public money is involved, this is no longer a neutral or private matter. The Confederate flag is not an abstract or generic historical symbol. It is the most widely recognized emblem of a government that seceded from the United States for the explicit purpose of preserving slavery. That is not a modern interpretation. It is stated plainly in the Confederacy's own documents. Mississippi's Declaration of Secession says, quote, 'Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery.' This is not "nonsense." The enslavement of African and African American people relied on systematic physical, psychological, and sexual violence to enforce control and deny basic human dignity. In many places, these practices were enabled by law through "slave codes," which treated enslaved people as property rather than as human beings. Physical torture and punishment (e.g., Britannica and other historical summaries) Whipping and flogging: Beatings were widely used as "discipline" for perceived infractions such as working too slowly, talking back, or attempting to escape. Abolitionists later circulated photographs and accounts of survivors injuries to document these abuses. Mutilation and branding: Some enslavers marked people with brands or used mutilation— such as ear cropping or amputation as punishment, particularly for running away, with the aim of inflicting pain, stigmatizing the person, and deterring others. Restraints and iron devices: Chains, shackles, and iron collars were used to restrict movement and prevent escape. Some restraints were designed to make sleeping difficult or to limit speaking and eating. Extreme cruelty: Historical records include accounts of torture and other acts intended to terrorize enslaved people and reinforce total control. (Descriptions vary by source; the consistent pattern is deliberate violence used as domination.) Sexual and reproductive abuse (e.g., historical scholarship; PBS summaries)Systemic sexual violence: Enslaved women and girls were subjected to sexual assault by enslavers and others in power, with little or no legal protection. Because enslaved people were treated as property, consent and bodily autonomy were routinely denied. Forced reproduction: In some contexts, enslavers coerced relationships and pregnancies to increase the enslaved population for labor and profit. These practices inflicted long-term trauma and often led to family separation through sale.Psychological and social violence (e.g., PBS and Gilder Lehrman summaries) Family separation: The sale of spouses, parents, and children was common and functioned as both an economic practice and a tool of control. Many families were permanently separated, with little hope of reunion. Denial of education and restricted worship: In many states it was illegal to teach enslaved people to read or write, reflecting fears that literacy could enable resistance. Religious gatherings were also controlled or monitored, limiting community organization and autonomy. Medical exploitation: Enslaved people were sometimes subjected to painful medical experimentation and procedures without consent, and their bodies were exploited by medical institutions in ways that ignored basic human rights. Conditions during the Middle Passage (e.g., Gilder Lehrman summaries) The transatlantic journey: Captured Africans were confined in overcrowded ship holds with inadequate food, water, sanitation, and medical care for weeks or months. Many died from disease, dehydration, violence, and the conditions of confinement. Preparation for sale: After arrival, traders and enslavers sometimes attempted to conceal signs of illness or injury to maximize sale prices, further treating human beings as commodities. That is the historical context in which this flag was created and used. The physical systems that supported the Confederacy-including its railroads—were built to serve a slave-based economy and later repurposed for war. They transported cotton produced by enslaved people, and later moved troops, weapons, supplies, and food to sustain armies fighting to preserve slavery. Historians describe the Civil War as the first major railroad war because Confederate survival depended on that infrastructure. These were not neutral features of history. They were tools of rebellion against the United States. Some argue that the Confederate flag represents "heritage." But heritage does not exist in a vacuum. Heritage includes what was defended, who benefited, and who paid the price. For many residents-especially Black residents-this flag represents the legal ownership of their ancestors as property, family separation, sexual violence, forced labor, and a political system that embedded racial subordination into law. When that symbol appears in a county funded public space, it communicates something, whether intended or not. This fair is not a private event on private land. It is supported by county resources. That means public dollars are involved, public values are implicated, and public accountability applies. When a Confederate flag is displayed at a publicly funded event, the county is not a bystander. It becomes a participant. You cannot credibly claim to welcome the entire community while financing an event that displays a symbol historically used to intimidate, exclude, and dehumanize part of that same community. That contradiction is real, and people feel it. Confederate symbols continue to divide communities not because people are overly sensitive, but because the history behind them is unresolved and the harm was never repaired. This Board has a choice. You can treat this as someone else's problem and pretend county funding carries no moral weight—or you can acknowledge that public resources always reflect public values. No amount of nostalgia changes the historical record. No reframing erases what the Confederate flag was created to defend. The question before you is simple: Should county funds support the public display of a symbol tied directly to slavery and armed rebellion against the United States? Thank you for your time. Kevin Lee." Lee also noted that the Winneshiek County Agricultural Association (WCAA), which operates the fair, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. He pointed to the Internal Revenue Services' Exempt purposes - Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3), which defines the legal basis for tax-exempt status, indicating that the WCAA's actions may be in violation of that code: "The exempt purposes set forth in section 501(c)(3) are charitable, religious, educational, scientific, literary, testing for public safety, fostering national or international amateur sports competition, and preventing cruelty to children or animals. The term charitable is used in its generally accepted legal sense and includes relief of the poor, the distressed, or the underprivileged; advancement of religion; advancement of education or science; erecting or maintaining public buildings, monuments, or works; lessening the burdens of government; lessening neighborhood tensions; eliminating prejudice and discrimination; defending human and civil rights secured by law; and combating community deterioration and juvenile delinquency." Langreck responded, "That's not this board's problem." "You're supporting it though," Lee retorted. Supervisor Steve Kelsay remarked, "We choose to disagree." The board took no formal action following the discussion. Stay connected and informed! Join the free newsletter for curated news, trending topics, and insider perspectives you won't find anywhere else.