Louisiana senatorial candidate Gary Chambers has been stirring the pot down in the South. Chambers began garnering attention after his first published campaign ad showed him laid back, smoking a blunt in New Orleans. The ad was dedicated to telling potential voters about his plan to seek cannabis reform in Louisiana. Now, he’s back with another ad but this time he’s lighting a Confederate flag on fire.
Titled “Scars and Bars”, the ad depicts Chambers dousing a Confederate flag in gasoline moments before setting it on fire. The candidate delivers a voice-over monologue while diving into the lasting negative effects of Jim Crow and the Confederacy.
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“Here in Louisiana and all over the South, Jim Crow never really left, and the remnants of the Confederacy remain,” he said. “The attacks against Black people, our right to vote, and participate in this democracy are methodical. Gerrymandered districts are a byproduct of the confederacy. Our system isn’t broken, it’s designed to do exactly what it is doing, which is producing measurable inequity,” he added.
Chambers is not shy about public activism and justice. His first viral appearance happened in 2020 when he delivered a raw and honest speech at a Baton Rouge school board meeting. Chambers shamed public officials who resisted changing the name of the former Robert E. Lee High School.
In addition to his political campaign, Chambers is the co-founder of the media outlet, The Rouge Collection, and an advocate for advancements in the justice system, healthcare access, and equality for minority-owned businesses.
[Via]