Early Saturday morning, a black female activist scaled the flagpole in front of the South Carolina Statehouse and removed the Confederate battle flag.
The woman, later identified as “Bree” in a news release by activist group Blackbird, did not act by herself, but was part of a larger group of concerned citizens and activists who wanted to see the flag come down.
“We removed the flag today because we can’t wait any longer,” Bree said in a statement. “We can’t continue like this another day. It’s time for a new chapter where we are sincere about dismantling white supremacy and building toward true racial justice and equality.”
Bree made it about halfway up the pole before authorities commanded her to come down, but she kept going and removed the flag, which was padlocked in place. She was arrested when she came down, but not after receiving a well-deserved ovation from the crowd.
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