South Carolina War Plaques Are 'Glorifying Segregation,' Mayor Says

An aging war memorial that pays tribute to "white" and "colored" soldiers in a once-segregated South Carolina town is creating a new divide.

The memorial on Main Street in Greenwood, a small city of 23,000, honors the fallen from World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam. The dead from the two World Wars are listed by their race — which Greenwood Mayor Welborn Adams says is unacceptable.

"The term 'colored' is offensive. It's offensive to me, so I can only imagine how it feels to African-Americans," he said. "I don't think Main Street is where you should be glorifying segregation."

Adams raised $15,000 to build new plaques in which the dead would be listed alphabetically instead. But those new plaques are still sitting in his office due to a state law passed 15 years ago that prohibits changing historical monuments without two-thirds vote of the legislature.