Michigan Native’s Viral BLM Video Shows That Racism Still Thrives [VIDEO]
Video of a white man holding a Black Lives Matter Sign in what has been dubbed the most racist town in America has gone viral. Michigan native Rob Bliss is the man behind the sign and the video that garnered a lot of attention in Harrison, Arkansas. Harrison is home to the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, a branch of the KKK according to WOOD-TV.
Bliss, a Grand Rapids Native, held the Black Lives Matter sign outside of a Walmart, saying he wanted to get people talking.
“If you do this in Brooklyn or Los Angeles, most of the people that you encounter are going to have the exact same feelings as you," he said. "But to do it in Harrison, I wanted to start that conversation where it doesn’t normally happen.”
The video of Bliss and the Harrison residents' reactions has been viewed over a million times.
Bliss says his experiment proves how far we still have to go when it comes to overcoming racism in the United States.
“Obviously, blatant racism, very real things. A lot of personal accusations some threats toward me. Lots of white power symbols that were flashed at me,” Bliss said. “It’s jarring and definitely gave me a lot to think about the divide in America between Red and Blue.”
Bliss notes that some people came up to him and indicated that they though he was "playing for the wrong team." He also said that although a large majority of the reactions were negative, some people were encouraging and showed their support.
Please note that the second video below -- Bliss' video that was posted on YouTube contains unedited racist and offensive language.