Meijer, UH drop county fair sponsorship; Confederate flag sales and COVID-19 cited as reasons

LORAIN — Meijer has withdrawn its sponsorship of the Lorain County Fair, saying sales of the Confederate flag at the fairgrounds in Wellington don't reflect the retailer's views. "It doesn't represent our values. For us, it's all about inclusion. We've been known for that," said Ken Barclay, Meijer's market director for Cleveland. The county fair, which is continuing despite the COVID-19 pandemic, had landed Meijer as its flagship sponsor for the 175th anniversary year. The company had agreed to sponsor the full week from Aug. 23-30. Sponsorships help support the 1,500 youth who exhibit at the Junior Fair. They keep ticket costs down and allow for free admission for children 8 years old and younger, according to the Lorain County Fair's 2020 Premium Book. Michigan-based Meijer was founded in 1938. Barclay said he's worked for the company 37 years, and that dignity, respect and inclusion always have been the standard. "We want to make sure everybody feels comfortable and is well represented in a Meijer store," he said. The rebel flag, the battle standard during the Civil War for states that seceded, has been at the center of America's conversation on civil rights for years. Jeanine Donaldson, executive director of YWCA of Elyria and one of the organizers of the Fair-minded Coalition of Lorain County, was happy with the victory for the groups against the sale of the flag. She said she reached out to Barclay on Friday and left him a message about the fair allowing the flag to be sold. The next morning, he responded and said he would look into the issue. Donaldson's group was prepared to write a statement asking Meijer to denounce the flag and pull its sponsorship. But on Monday, Meijer reached back out to Donaldson and said it asked the Lorain County Fair Board to pull its branding from the fair's materials until they "do the right thing." "It's huge," she said. "But it's also consistent with what a lot of the other major corporations have done. But I think it's more effective when it's right here in our community with our major corporations saying, 'We don't want to be affiliated with the flag, and we don't want to be affiliated with any organizations that support the Confederate flag.'" Back in 2015, Walmart, Target, Amazon and eBay pulled sales of Confederate flags. Following nationwide protests over police brutality and racism this spring, more stores doubled down, NASCAR banned the flags at its events and now even the Pentagon is drafting language to limit or stop display of the Confederate flag on military bases. Sales of Dixie flags by vendors have continued at the Lorain County Fair, drawing criticism and even boycotts. In June, fair board President Kim Meyers said he did not expect to revisit the issue. Meyers was not available for comment Tuesday. Several other Ohio fairs have decided to stop allowing the rebel flag to be sold. Recent decisions have come from Medina and Wayne counties, for example, while the Ohio State Fair has banned sales of the flag since 2015. The Lorain County Fair controversy caught Meijer representatives by surprise. "We didn't even know about this issue until late Friday, and we immediately got together and made a decision to withdraw from that organization," Barclay said. He said the brand could possibly consider reinstating its sponsorship if the fair board "makes the right decision in our minds" and ends Confederate flag sales. With Meijer opening a store in Lorain, which has the highest percentage of people of color in the county, Donaldson said it seemed contradictory to then sponsor the Lorain County Fair. "When we started this, it was about changing hearts and minds," Donaldson said. "That's what I've said from day one. We knew we were going to have to be in this for the long haul. Over time, we have seen that people are changing their hearts and minds. And I firmly believe that there's many people on the fair board that stand against the sale of the flag. But they've got a couple individuals that are inflexible on this." Several groups, including Donaldson's, are planning a caravan starting in Elyria and then going to Oberlin and Wellington to take a stand against the sale of the Confederate flag at the Lorain County Fair. Details are still being worked out. University Hospitals Elyria Medical Center also pulled its sponsorship of the Lorain County Fair, but it cited the COVID-19 pandemic for the reason. "At University Hospitals, the safety and well-being of our patients, caregivers and communities are our top priorities," President Kristi Sink said in a statement. "We are likewise committed to preventive medicine and measures as a means of promoting optimal health, and this is especially true in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. For these reasons, we will not participate in this year's fair and are removing our sponsorship for the event." Contact Jason Hawk at jason@lcnewspapers.com. Contact Laina Yost at lyost@chroniclet.com.