If we’ve learned anything over the past few years, it’s that our elected officials don’t always make the best decisions. In the latest case of “you can’t make this stuff up,” a South Carolina County Councilman showed up to a March 4 community event in Greenville wearing an overtly racist t-shirt and had the nerve to post a photo of himself wearing the shirt on his Facebook page.
As reported by The Herald, Greenville County Councilman Lynn Ballard showed up to the event wearing a t-shirt with a Confederate flag, a motorcycle and a scantily-clad woman. The words “used but not used up” were written at the top of the shirt. If your blood isn’t already boiling, it’s important to note that the event was sponsored by Upstate Circle of Friends, a Greenville-based non-profit organization that works primarily with Black and Hispanic youth. Upstate Circle of Friends was founded by Evelyn Deloris Pinson in 2006 to provide educational and recreational support to at-risk children and their families. Oh, did I forget to mention that Ms. Pinson is a Black woman with a black staff?
Bruce Wilson, a community activist with aspirations of a South Carolina House of Representatives seat, is outraged and calling on Ballard to resign. Wilson says he became aware of the photo when a screenshot of Ballard’s post was shared with him. That led him to share his own screenshot directly from Ballard’s Facebook page with the rest of the Greenville County Council. As of this writing, none of the other council members have commented on the record.
Although he has no plans of relinquishing his position, Ballard has deleted the photo from his social media accounts. He released a statement of apology on March 11 after being pressured by members of the community to address the matter.
Source: South Carolina County Councilman Wears Confederate Flag T-Shirt to Community Event
