{"id":25974,"date":"2015-07-23T08:50:36","date_gmt":"2015-07-23T13:50:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/?p=25974"},"modified":"2020-07-22T15:33:17","modified_gmt":"2020-07-22T20:33:17","slug":"death-of-the-black-confederate-mysterious-circumstances-surround-the-passing-of-anthony-hervey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/death-of-the-black-confederate-mysterious-circumstances-surround-the-passing-of-anthony-hervey\/","title":{"rendered":"Death of the Black Confederate: Mysterious Circumstances Surround the Passing of Anthony Hervey"},"content":{"rendered":"

Southern activist Anthony Hervey<\/strong> knew how to get attention, and his death is as mysterious and controversial as his life.<\/h2>\n

by Newt Rayburn \u2013 from The Local Voice #234 \u2013 July 23-August 6, 2015<\/h4>\n
\"2000-AnthonyHervey-BlackConfederate\"<\/a>
Anthony Hervey marching around Oxford, Mississippi in the year 2000. Photograph by Alison Moore.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Oxford, Miss. (TLV)\u2013Local activist Anthony Hervey<\/strong>, author of the book Why I Wave the Confederate Flag, Written by a Black Man<\/a><\/em>, died in a car accident Sunday, July 19, 2015<\/strong> near the Pontotoc<\/strong> and Lafayette County<\/strong> line in Mississippi<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Anthony was a well-known Southern activist who lived in Oxford<\/strong>. He spent many days demonstrating in front of the Confederate memorial on the Square with controversial signs and flags.<\/span><\/p>\n

He was known to dress in a Confederate soldier\u2019s uniform and march around the local area, flying a Battle Flag.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Anthony<\/a>
Anthony Hervey on the Oxford, Mississippi Square during the 2008 Presidential Debate.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hervey\u2019s signs were eye-catching and adorned provocative statements, such as \u201cWhite Guilt = Black Genocide,\u201d \u201cAnti-Racism is the Brain Child of Racism,\u201d and \u201cThe Welfare State Has Destroyed My People.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hervey was returning home on Sunday after speaking at a Confederate History Rally in Birmingham, Alabama<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

City leaders there have recently voted to remove the Civil War monument from Linn Park<\/strong>, and Anthony Hervey wanted to speak out against it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hervey was traveling with Black Confederate Activist Arlene Barnum<\/strong> from Stuart, Oklahoma<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Arlene Barnum posted updates on her Facebook page<\/a> on the morning of the crash that said that the two were being chased, and had been run off the road.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHELP.. They after us. My vehicle inside down,\u201d Barnum posted at 11:25 am on Sunday, July 19. \u201cAnthony Hervy [SIC] pinned in ., gas leaking.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Anthony<\/a>
Anthony Hervey wearing his Confederate soldier jacket and kepi.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Barnum later told the Associated Press<\/a> that they had \u201cstopped at a convenience store, and she remained in the vehicle as he went in. She said Hervey was wearing a Confederate kepi, or military hat. <\/span><\/p>\n

Barnum said soon after they left the store, a car with four or five young black men pulled up near them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey were angry with Mr. Hervey,\u201d Barnum said. \u201cMr. Hervey sped up and said, \u2018Hell, no.\u2019 \u2026 He really had to gun it on the gas pedal.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"wreckphoto\"<\/a>
The SUV accident that killed Anthony Hervey on July 19, 2015. This photograph was taken by the only survivor of the accident, Arlene Barnum.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

She said the car ran Hervey off the highway, and the SUV rolled over. Barnum said she unbuckled herself and told Hervey he should take a pocket knife off her key chain and cut his seatbelt. She said he was breathing but didn\u2019t respond.<\/span><\/p>\n

Anthony Hervey had given a fiery speech at the Confederate History Rally<\/a> on Saturday, July 18 and Barnum had apparently burned her lifetime membership card<\/a> to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People<\/strong>. According to organizers, the rally was attended by nearly 500 people, who cheered on Hervey and Barnum.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Anthony<\/a>
Anthony Hervey (right) and H.K. Edgerton (left) at the Birmingham, Alabama Confederate History rally July 18, 2015, just hours before his death. Hervey gave a fiery speech at the rally.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Not everyone who attended the rally supported the pro-Confederate cause, however. <\/span><\/p>\n

According to blogs and Facebook posts<\/a>, there were demonstrators opposed to the rally, and claims that some were arrested. <\/span><\/p>\n

One blog post said there were shouting matches<\/a> between anti-flag demonstrators and the handful of Black Confederates who attended the rally.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI feel safe,\u201d Anthony Hervey <\/strong>said during his speech at the Birmingham rally, as he spoke in front of the crowd. \u201cI really do feel safe! This is the only time I feel safe telling\u2014let me say the word\u2014the damn truth.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Anthony Hervey was not afraid to stand up for his beliefs, or himself, and he was not unaccustomed to dealing with angry opposition. <\/span><\/p>\n

In fact, nearly everywhere he went Anthony Hervey engaged in conversation, discussion, and debates. Often times they became very heated.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
A photograph from April 18, 2014, when Anthony Hervey was attacked on the Oxford, Mississippi Square. Hervey punched his attacker and knocked him out cold.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Former Daily Mississippian<\/em> Opinion Editor Blake Aued<\/strong> was involved in a violent scuffle with Anthony<\/a> and his brother on the Oxford Square in 2001. Hervey and Aued both filed assault charges against each other, but both parties eventually withdrew their complaints altogether.<\/span><\/p>\n

On April 18, 2014, Hervey was briefly detained by Oxford Police after being attacked on the Square by another black man, who was upset over Hervey\u2019s opinions.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to witnesses, Anthony punched the man and knocked him out, after the man grabbed and yelled at him. Hervey was not charged in the incident.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to an article in The Sun-Herald <\/em>in 2000, Anthony Hervey\u2019s devotion to the Southern cause started when he discovered that his Great-Great-Uncle James Hervey<\/strong> was a Black American who fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Local Voice<\/em> researched and found a James H. Hervey<\/a> who served in Company C of the 18th Regiment Mississippi Cavalry Battalion. <\/strong>However, James Hervey\u2019s race or relationship to Anthony Hervey could not be established by press time.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other Herveys who served in Mississippi\u2019s Civil War Army include William O. Hervey<\/strong> of the 9th Regiment Mississippi Infantry<\/strong>, J.K. Hervey<\/strong> of the 2nd<\/strong> and 7th Regiment Mississippi Cavalry<\/strong>, and Benjamin P. Hervey<\/strong> of the 15th Regiment Infantry<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Anthony<\/a>
Anthony Hervey and his brother Harry Hervey demonstrating on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe battle flag stands for freedom and states\u2019 rights,\u201d Anthony Hervey told The Sun-Herald<\/em> in 2000. \u201cThe U.S. flag is the flag of slavery. It flew over 100 years of slavery, and Native Americans were annihilated under that flag.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe currently live under a psychological form of reconstruction,\u201d Hervey continued. \u201cWhites are made to feel guilty for sins of their ancestors, and blacks are made to feel downtrodden. This keeps all of us from communicating. The political correctness of today is killing the pride of the people.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hervey\u2019s opinions and activities were very controversial at the University of Mississippi<\/strong>, where he attended college studying Sociology. Anthony refused to use Ole Miss\u2019<\/strong> \u201cFree Speech Zones,\u201d and got in trouble by extending his activities throughout the campus.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Anthony<\/a>
Anthony Hervey giving his final speech at the “Monumental Dixie” rally in Birmingham, Alabama on July 18, 2015.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cAnthony probably was our first real experience with true freedom of speech,\u201d Sparky Reardon<\/strong>, former Dean of Students at the University of Mississippi, told The<\/em> Clarion-Ledger<\/em>. \u201cHe challenged us and we had to reconsider some things. We realized we had an obligation to the First Amendment to allow him to do that. We mistakenly called it a free speech area; and it really should never have been called that, because the whole campus should be called that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hervey had plenty of critics and adversaries on the internet as well. The website\u00a0 www.AnthonyHervey-ConfederateCrook.com<\/a> is entirely dedicated to opposing Anthony Hervey. The site\u2019s publisher is Danish citizen Niels Graverholt<\/strong>, who claims he was cheated out of money by Hervey.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI made this website to warn others against Anthony Hervey from Oxford and Water Valley, Mississippi,\u201d Graverholt posted. \u201cIn return for my helpfulness, friendliness and generosity he is trying to cheat me\u2014an absolutely not well-off pensioner\u2014for 1.300 dollars, that I was na\u00efve enough to lend him in February 2010.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Some of Hervey\u2019s legal troubles were much more serious. In 2003, he was one of 17 defendants<\/a> charged in a 31-count criminal indictment for fraudulently obtaining student loans. Hervey went to prison but was released in December of 2006.\"Anthony<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

In the last several years, Anthony Hervey could be found most days hanging out at High Point Coffee<\/strong> on the Oxford Square. He was a frequent fixture of the caf\u00e9, and he spent the days playing chess and talking politics and social issues with the locals. He also spent plenty of time demonstrating with Confederate flags and flamboyant signs in front of the Confederate Memorial on the Square and in front of the West Jackson Avenue entrance to the University of Mississippi.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hervey\u2019s friends and colleagues remember him much more fondly, and warmly, than his critics.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe was just trying to promote love and equality between everybody,\u201d said local artist Keelan Stokes<\/strong>.\u00a0\u201cThey are so saturated with all of these political agendas that honesty seems extreme. He was just trying to be honest with how the world is.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The cover of Anthony Hervey\u2019s book, Why I Wave the Confederate Flag, Written by a Black Man: The End of Niggerism and the Walfare State.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cAnthony worked so hard to try to explain and overcome what he considered to be the dilemma of his race,\u201d explained Debbie Sidle<\/strong>. \u201cHe felt like his people had gone from being on the plantation to being on the government plantation.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI get so mad when I see some stranger calling him an Uncle Tom,\u201d Golda McLellan<\/strong> said. \u201cAnthony\u2019s opinions and actions were nothing but his own. Oxford won\u2019t be the same without him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe deserves respect for passionately and actively fighting for his opinion,\u201d said David Watson<\/strong>, \u201cThat\u2019s what makes America great. You can agree to disagree and learn something in the process.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy heart and prayers go out to the Hervey family for their tragic loss,\u201d said local pianist Bill Perry, Jr<\/strong>. \u201cHe was a fellow Oxonian who believed in his convictions and was not afraid to challenge you. Oxford has lost one of its own, and that\u2019s what\u2019s important to acknowledge at the moment.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Anthony<\/a>
Anthony Hervey marching in Oxford, Mississippi in May of 2000. Photograph by Alison Moore.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a sad day in Oxford,\u201d lamented local chef Andy Coulter<\/strong>. \u201cI\u2019ve never wanted to fly a Confederate flag before, but I might get one just so I can lower it to half mast for a day for Anthony. We\u2019re all gonna miss him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe was a very intelligent man,\u201d said Melody Watson<\/strong>. \u201cI still have hopes that his Confederate stuff was some kind of Andy Kaufman prank. I\u2019m sorry to see his light go out.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMany people considered him crazy, but I considered him a friend,\u201d said local musician Jeff Callaway<\/strong>. \u201cI wish more people could realize that disagreeing politically and being friends don\u2019t have to be mutually exclusive.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI truly enjoyed his fresh and direct way of discussing his passions and his enthusiasm towards challenging stereotypes,\u201d said Vicki Reithel<\/strong>. \u201cWould be honored to attend his service.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In the weeks before his death, Anthony Hervey told The Local Voice<\/em> that he really wanted to sit down for an interview and be in the newspaper. It is unfortunate that it had to happen this way.<\/span><\/p>\n

As was his life, the circumstances involving Anthony Hervey\u2019s death are mysterious and controversial. The Mississippi Highway Patrol<\/strong> is investigating the accident and the claims that he was forced off the road by unknown assailants.<\/span><\/p>\n

Anthony Hervey was born October 27, 1965 and he died July 19, 2015. He was 49 years old.\u00a0\"The<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Related Articles:<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRemembering Anthony Hervey\u201d<\/a> by Louis Bourgeois<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

“Anthony Hervey\u2019s Funeral Set for Sunday, August 2nd in Oxford, Mississippi”<\/a> by TLV News<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

“‘Black Confederate’ Anthony Hervey Funeral Procession Draws Hundreds in Oxford, Mississippi”<\/a> by TLV News\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"2015-07-18-BirminghamRally\"<\/a>
Anthony Hervey (left) at the “Monumental Dixie” rally in Birmingham, Alabama on July 18, 2015. Arlene Barnum is second from the right.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Anthony<\/a>
Anthony Hervey on the Oxford Square. Photograph by Gaetano Catelli, April 11, 2014.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A<\/a>
A photograph of the wrecked SUV that killed Anthony Hervey on Sunday, July 19, 2015. Photograph was shot by Arlene Barnum, a passenger in the vehicle and the sole survivor.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Flowers<\/a>
Flowers at the Confederate memorial in Oxford, Mississippi laid for Anthony Hervey. July 22, 2014. Photograph by Rebecca Long.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Anthony<\/a>
Anthony Hervey demonstrating on the steps of the Mississippi Capital building in 2001, during the sessions to legally establish Mississippi’s state flag.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n