On a day where citizens nationwide should have been unified in patriotism, President Barack Obama’s dreams of a post-racial America were dashed yet again. In the small town of Hope Mills, N.C., a Fourth of July celebration was marred with a “White History Month” float, drawing the criticism of the town’s residents.
Hope Mills, 15 minutes southwest of rapper J. Cole’s hometown of Fayetteville, held its annual parade, billed as a family-oriented community event in the predominately white town.
As reported by the Fayetteville Observer over the weekend, attendees of the parade were offended by a float pulled by a massive John Deere tractor emblazoned with a Confederate flag with a sign that read, “White History Month. Hug WTE PPL” – which also carried a bed of watermelons.
Farmer Donnie Spell was the owner of the float, one of eight he entered into the parade by way of a permit. Town officials told local news station ABC11 that Spell said he would be pulling an antique tractor with a sign that read “Watermelons For Sale.” The station visited Spell’s home and received no response. A neighbor vouching for the farmer said Spell probably didn’t intend to be offensive.
Reports from local station WNCN reveal that Spell’s float wasn’t the only one bearing the Confederate flag and reporters for the network spoke with several attendees who were aghast at the display. Although parade officials claim they asked Spell to remove the offensive signs, it appears they did little to stop the show from going as planned.
Check out the photos from the parade on the following pages.
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Photos: WNCN, WTVD, Michael Kenneth, Fayetteville Observer
