In the 2013 U.S. census, descendants of confederate soldiers numbered anywhere between 50 and 80 million. This makes being a confederate descendant even more common than having acne! (As the most common skin condition in the country, it still only affects 40 to 50 million people.) That being said, organizers of the Alabama Flaggers Secession Rally were shocked when only 30 of those descendants actually showed up to their Saturday event, according to a recent story from USA Today.

Though the Facebook event page claimed that over 300 people would be expected at the rally, the organizers themselves were counted in the attendance tally of 30. Co-director of the group, Freda Mincey-Burton, couldn’t believe the low turnout.

“This is really shocking me that these people aren’t here,” she said.

Originally scheduled for Friday, the date of the rally was changed to Saturday so that attendance would be better. The rally was initially intended to last at least five hours, but had to disperse after two.

The group was hoping to gain momentum for a new movement: pushing Alabama to secede from the nation. Mincey-Burton’s husband and fellow co-founder, Justin Burton, sees the challenges involved in getting the right publicity for their cause.

“Getting the majority is the biggest obstacle,” Burton said. “People don’t understand secession and are scared. They don’t know what is involved, and all they see is civil war.”

Resident James Perry, who was in attendance at the rally, gave a passionate statement about the reasons behind the group’s insistence on clinging to what some consider outdated relics.

“People have been brainwashed on how to think about this flag. There are 24 million blacks in this country. There’s 82 million descendants of Confederate soldiers in this country. Why do we have to listen to their heritage all the time? Every time Rosa Parks or Martin Luther King broke wind, (the media) reports it, and it’s on the front page. There’s not a sign down here commemorating the Confederacy, and it was born here.”

No word yet on whether or not the group will be making another attempt at a rally.