It's been less than a month since anti-racist activists posted "Black Lives Matter" on a billboard next to a large Confederate flag in Pittsboro. Now, the owner of that property says he wants the billboard removed.
Sam White is terminating his contract with Lamar, the advertiser that leases the billboard. White says he's proud of his "Confederate heritage" and that he believes there's a "war" going on in Chatham County between opposing ideologies.
White says giving up the $2,000 per year he would have received from billboard leases is the price he pays to fight for his side.
Anti-racist activist Kerwin Pittman says he was not surprised by White's decision.
“Ultimately, removing the billboard from his property does not stifle the voices of individuals in that community to express their sentiment that ‘Black Lives Matter,’” Pittman said. “So, individuals are looking into other ways to express this throughout the town.”
View this post on Instagram It's been less than a month since anti-racist activists posted "Black Lives Matter" on a billboard next to a large Confederate flag in Pittsboro, NC. Now, Sam White, the property owner, says he wants the billboard removed and is terminating his contract with Lamar, the advertiser that leases the billboard. White says he's proud of his "confederate heritage" and that he believes there's a "war" going on in Chatham County between opposing ideologies. He says giving up the $2,000/year he would have received from billboard leases is the price he pays to fight for his side. Anti-racist @activist_kerwin_pittman says he was not surprised by White's decision. Read more via the link in our bio. A post shared by WUNC (@915wunc) on Aug 6, 2020 at 1:50pm PDT
Pittman, the founder of Recidivism Reduction Educational Program Services, helped raise funds for the billboard through a GoFundMe page in July. More than 240 people donated to raise more than $10,000.
The anti-racist group Chatham Takes Action posted a letter from Lamar on its Facebook page. The ad company said the removal will likely occur in September, and offered to help relocate their billboard or return the money.
