Group: Black Lives Matter Billboard Erected Next to Confeder
Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2020 12:12 pm
Kerwin Pittman, founder of Recidivism Reduction Educational Program Services, poses in front of the Black Lives Matter billboard set next to a Conferedate flag in a photo from his Facebook page. (Photo by Bee Ess)
PITTSBORO, North Carolina — A group in North Carolina has erected a Black Lives Matter billboard to counter a Confederate flag that stands along a road in North Carolina.
"Shoutouts To The Community Of Pittsboro That Came Together To Make This Happen," Kerwin Pittman, founder of Recidivism Reduction Educational Program Services, said in a Facebook post Monday announcing the new billboard.
Pittman told McClatchy News he worked with people in Pittsboro, a town about 55 kilometers west of Raleigh, to create the sign. A GoFundMe page created to raise money for the project said the billboard was a way to show Confederate flags "do NOT represent" Pittsboro.
Some Confederate flags and monuments honoring Confederate leaders have been removed across the South following nationwide protests against racism and police brutality after the killing of George Floyd by police in Minnesota.
Crews also removed a Confederate statue that stood in front of the Chatham County Courthouse in Pittsboro last year following months of protests.