SC councilman apologizes after wearing Confederate flag shirt to community event
A Greenville County councilman apologized on Friday after wearing a shirt with a Confederate flag on it last week to an event sponsored by a group that works primarily with Black and Hispanic youth.
During a short press conference, Councilman Lynn Ballard apologized for any harm he might have caused members of the community, though without mentioning exactly we he did that was found offensive. A picture of him in the shirt posted to Ballard’s Facebook page caused an uproar among some in the community in recent days, with some community leaders asking he resign and others calling for an apology.
Ballard was attending an event last Friday for the nonprofit Upstate Circle of Friends and was photographed with the organization’s executive officer George Singleton, who is Black.
Ballard said at the press conference that he was contacted a short time after posting the photo that some people were upset and so immediately removed it.
“As a public official, I strive never to upset anyone,” Ballard said. “I’m sorry that I upset some people. It was not done deliberately. I meant no disrespect to anyone on any side of the issue.”
Ballard added that he admits he made a mistake.
“I’m sorry for my poor choice and I promise to work hard to heal any damage my actions have caused,” he said. “I reaffirm my commitment to living up to the expectations my constituents set for me when they elected me to serve on county council.”
When asked by a reporter on scene if he’d answer questions, Ballard said, “I’d prefer not to.”
He then began to walk away, but stopped to answer a single question asking him to describe what issue he referred to in his statement.
“That’s been pretty well stated at this point, so, nothing has changed,” Ballard said before walking off camera.
Local faith leader U.A. Thompson then spoke at the conference, noting he was the one who asked Ballard to apologize on Friday.
“He was initially going to do it on Tuesday at the council meeting and I simply asked that it be done sooner,” Thompson said.
Thompson said the Confederate flag was a symbol of hate.
“It’s disrespectful to the community,” Thompson said. “He apologized. All of us make mistakes, but that doesn’t necessarily define who we are.”
Thompson added that he hoped the community could now move forward with the healing process.
First elected to the council in 2014, Ballard represents the southern and part of the western areas of Greenville County. A chemist, Ballard worked for a chemical company for 25 years and then as a rural mail carrier.
“We move forward in the healing process by having the hard conversations,” he said. “The bible says people are destroyed by lack of knowledge. Knowledge is essential.”
