On the heels of South Carolina voting to take down the Confederate flag from its Capitol grounds and Marion County voting to fly the Confederate flag again and a New Times article reminding everyone that the City of Hollywood has several streets named after Confederate generals, a group calling itself #BlackOutWhiteSupremacy has decided to literally black out street names with said Confederate heroes.
An email sent to New Times from the group shows several signs throughout Hollywood carrying the names of Confederate generals that appear to have been blacked out with paint. The email doesn't specifically say the group did this, but it's implied.
The email calls out all cities throughout the United States that "glorify" the names of Confederate soldiers but singles out Hollywood as the main culprit and challenges the city to set an example for the rest of the country. The group says that because "our leaders have failed us consciously and morally," they've gone ahead and decided to take matters into their own hands "against white supremacy."
The email goes on to ask others who are equally angry about street signs named after Confederate generals and soldiers to "black out white supremacy," though it comes short of asking people to spray-paint over signs.
The full #BlackOutWhiteSupremacy email reads:
For years Hollywood, FL, among many other cities in the U.S., has contributed to systematic racism by allowing the names of these atrocious Confederate solders to be glorified to this day. This everyday symbol of institutionalized racism is part of the same conditioning that allows unarmed people of color to be murdered on a regular basis. Our leaders have failed us consciously and morally. We have had to take matters into our own hands against white supremacy. We call on people of conscience to #BlackOutWhiteSupremacy. Hollywood needs to set the example for the rest of the country to combat seemingly innocuous acts of racism in our communities. Hollywood deserves to have streets named after civil rights leaders, not historical racist. Our city commission and officials are abhorrent for allowing this to go on for so long and a public apology is necessary. Hollywood is not the only city, most cities across the country have streets named after confederates. Starting with Hollywood, #BlackOutWhiteSupremacy
Signed-
#BlackOutWhiteSupremacy
New Times responded to the email for comment and is awaiting a reply.
