Juneteenth 2021: A time for celebration amid activism in Alabama town splcenter.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from splcenter.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Ever since Camille Bennett began her campaign to relocate a Confederate statue in her hometown of Florence, Alabama, she has seen it all: threats, violent online messages and intimidation attempts. “There's one that stands out in my mind. A minister, a local minister said that if I keep running my mouth, it will need to be wired shut and I'll be drinking through a straw. So, you know, really, really a physical threat.” But her most harrowing experience, she says, occurred in 2017, when five Ku Klux Klansmen in hoods and robes heckled her at an event. “I was terrified, I wanted to leave…” But for those like Bennett committed to removing Confederate symbols, intimidation, as frightening as it can be, isn't the only obstacle - and sometimes isn’t even the most powerful. While many high-profile statues have come down, many others are still standing thanks to the political maneuverings of those who want the symbols to remain, and have
Ever since Camille Bennett started her campaign to relocate a Confederate statue from outside the county courthouse in her hometown of Florence, Alabama, she…
By Tim Reid (Reuters) - Ever since Camille Bennett started her campaign to relocate a Confederate statue from outside the county courthouse in her hom.
By Syndicated Content
By Tim Reid
(Reuters) â Ever since Camille Bennett started her campaign to relocate a Confederate statue from outside the county courthouse in her hometown of Florence, Alabama, she has seen it all: threats, violent online messages and intimidation attempts.
There was the suggestion from a white pastor that somebody wire her mouth shut; then there was the time a white motorcyclist sped towards her and two boys during a racial justice march last summer, telling her to âget the fuck out the way.â
Bennett has always received pushback for her activism in her small conservative community, but she says her most harrowing experience happened in 2017, when five Ku Klux Klansmen (KKK) in hoods and robes heckled her at a local park during a LGBT Pride event sheâd been asked to address.