Civil War reenactments grow in popularity in wake of 2020 protests

Civil War reenactments have grown in popularity following the protests that took place in 2020.

Before showtime, pots and pans are some of the tools reenactor Tanya Haessly makes the most use of as a camp cook, feeding families and individuals taking part in a Civil War reenactment in Janney Furnace, Alabama.

Haessly and her kids sleep in a tent near the camp under the shadow of a Confederate flag — one of the many props used in the reenactment. Every morning, she builds up a fire to make breakfast and gets ready to welcome a new audience.

She told ABC News her job is to make sure history is told, and she wants her children to learn about what happened during the Civil War — especially when it comes to the Confederacy.

“Some people think that we're racist for doing this,” she said. “I had people on the northern side. My mom was from Maine, my father was from the South. And so I had people on the northern side that died. I had people on the southern side that died.