A South Carolina councilman is being encouraged to resign after he wore a T-shirt with a Confederate flag on it to an event for Black and Hispanic children.
Greenville County Council member Lynn Ballard volunteered for a community event on Friday and decided to boldly sport a T-shirt that included a Confederate flag on the front, Greenville News reported. The shirt reads “used but not used up” and features a man, a scantily-clad woman, and a motorcycle with a Confederate flag waving behind them.
The event was organized by Upstate Circle of Friends, a nonprofit aimed at fostering educational, recreational, and social programs for children in the area. The event was held in a predominantly Black neighborhood, making Ballard’s outfit choice that much more controversial.
Ballard apparently found no
issue with the Confederate flag-emblazoned T-shirt and even posted a photo he took with Upstate Circle of Friends’ Black executive officer George Singleton on social media. But after coming under fire, Ballard has since deleted the photo.“I would hope the councilman would have the empathy to apologize to the Black community,” Bruce Wilson, a political candidate for South Carolina Statehouse District 25 said.
“Just because you do a lot for the Black community doesn’t give you the right to disrespect the Black community.”
The Council on American-Islamic Relations issued a statement demanding an apology from Ballard, The Herald Online reported.
“Even if council member Ballard did not realize that his shirt included an image of the Confederate flag, he should still publicly apologize for the discomfort and offense that the flag of treason and white supremacy caused for those participating in the event,” said Ibrahim Hooper, CAIR national Communications director.
Wilson also said others have expressed outrage over the image of the woman on the shirt, considering Ballard was attending an event for children.
Wilson is calling for Ballard’s resignation. However, Ballard has said he will address the situation “from the dias” on March 15.
“Why would you apologize to the county council and not apologize to the community?” Wilson asked.