President Obama will be in Durant, Oklahoma today to announce the ConnectHome program, which promises to bring high-speed internet access to low-income communities across America, particularly those in rural areas. Indeed, the White House plans for this pilot program to reach 275,000 households and 200,000 children who have no access to high-speed broadband.
However, some a handful of citizens in Durant are lining the streets not to give Obama the honored welcome he deserves, but to shower him with images of hatred.
Specifically, the Confederate flag:
Screenshot of a Facebook post from a participant of a "stand by the flag" gathering being scheduled for Obama's visit, as reported by Ziva Branstetter and the Tulsa Frontier.
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These stills are from video via Ziva Branstetter.
Racism and hatred, through the haze of a vile symbol trying to hang on, will be directed at the man responsible for trying to improve the lives and economies of those doing the hating today.
May that hatred be countered by support for Obama's initiative, and the repeated refrain from all corners that Black Lives Matter.
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David Harris-Gershon is author of the memoir What Do You Buy the Children of the Terrorist Who Tried to Kill Your Wife?, recently published by Oneworld Publications.
Author's Note:
Several citizens of Durant have reached out to me, appalled by the handful of racists in their community greeting Obama with Confederate flags, including Leigh Rapier, who writes: