A Louisiana candidate for the US Senate has burned a Confederate flag in a powerful campaign ad about racial injustice in Louisiana and America.
Democrat Gary Chambers is also known for a viral ad where he smokes marijuana to “destigmatize” its use and discusses the unfair policing of drug laws.
In his most recent minute-long ad titled Scars and Bars, Chambers douses a Confederate flag in gasoline before setting it alight as it hangs on a clothesline while discussing racial injustices still affecting Black Americans today.
“Jim Crow never really left,” said Chambers, adding, “and the remnants of the Confederacy remain.”
My new ad, ‘Scars and Bars.’
— Gary Chambers (@GaryChambersJr) February 9, 2022
Here in Louisiana and all around the South, it feels like Jim Crow never left and the remnants of the Confederacy remain.
I do believe the South will rise again, but this time, it’ll be on our terms.
Join us at https://t.co/EoFc59WVR1 pic.twitter.com/vTlnIy9njq
Chambers goes on to discuss challenges facing Black Americans including gerrymandering and recently passed voting laws nationwide that have disadvantaged millions of Black voters.
“Our system isn’t broken,” said Chambers while setting the flag on fire. “It’s designed to do exactly what it’s doing, which is producing measurable inequity.”
Chambers also quoted statistics on inequalities for Black Americans: one in 13 Black people not having the right to vote, one in nine Black people not having health insurance, and one in three Black children living in poverty.
“It’s time to burn what remains of the Confederacy down,” said Chambers. “I do believe the South will rise again, but this time it’ll be on our terms.”
Chambers campaign ad, which has already been viewed almost 1m times on Twitter and has been retweeted over 10,000 times, was published while Louisiana legislators are working to redraw the state’s congressional districts.
Chambers and others are advocating for majority-Black districts in the state to be expanded and better reflect Louisiana’s Black population, which makes up about one-third of the overall population.
Chambers led a rally on Louisiana’s capitol steps about the congressional maps on Wednesday morning.
“Our ads are representative of Gary’s passion to raise awareness for the issues that leave the often forgotten communities in this country behind,” said Erick Sanchez, a senior adviser to Chambers who has worked on both ads, to the Washington Post.
“While the imagery might be deemed controversial by some, the harsh realities that are highlighted in these ads should be infuriating to all.”
Though Chambers’ campaign team did not answer questions from the Post on whether the ads had generated more donations (Chambers’ opponent, Republican incumbent senator John Kennedy has outpaced him in terms of funding), Chambers has shared nothing but enthusiasm about his campaign.
“We will continue to build momentum around this nation to make change in Louisiana,” tweeted Chambers on Wednesday.
