white nationalist
White nationalism is a type of racial nationalism or pan-nationalism which espouses the belief that white people are a raceHeidi Beirich and Kevin Hicks. "Chapter 7: White nationalism in America". In Perry, Barbara. ''Hate Crimes''. Greenwoo ...
Laurens, South Carolina
Laurens is a city in Laurens County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 9,139 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Laurens County.
History
Located in upstate South Carolina, the city of Laurens is named after Henry Laure ...
, which sold T-shirts, bumper stickers, and Ku Klux Klan robes, among other things.
The building also featured a "Klan Museum" in a back room. It was decorated with posters of President
Warren G. Harding
Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party, he was one of the most popular sitting U.S. presidents. A ...
, whom some allege was a Klan member, though many historians refute this.
Protests
In 1996, a white man from
West Columbia, South Carolina
West Columbia, formerly Brookland, is a city and commuter town in the suburban eastern sections of Lexington County, South Carolina, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population was 14,988, and the 2019 population estimate was 17,99 ...
, drove his van into the Redneck Shop as a protest against the store's racism. The building's current owner, the Rev. David Kennedy, said that he later told the man that, while he obviously did not agree with store owner John Howard's views, he did not feel that violence was an appropriate response.
Building ownership
The shop was located in a downtown Laurens building that formerly housed the Echo Theater. The building is included in the Laurens Historic District. The building is currently owned by the Rev. David Kennedy, a
black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...
civil rights leader and Baptist pastor. The shop acquired a great deal of publicity due to this unusual arrangement.
The building was formerly owned by Michael Burden, who was himself a Grand Dragon in the Ku Klux Klan. However, Burden found himself
impoverished
Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little
after leaving the KKK. Burden then approached Kennedy and apologized for his racist past, agreeing to sell Kennedy the deed to the Redneck Shop with the provision that store owner, John Howard, would be allowed to run the shop until his death. Kennedy accepted the deal, although Howard tried to sell the building in 2006 without Kennedy's permission and eventually led to a lawsuit that Howard lost. Howard and his Redneck Shop were evicted in May 2012, and the building has since remained vacant.
As a meeting place for white supremacists
In addition to selling merchandise, the Redneck Shop had also been used as a meeting place for white supremacists; in 2006, it was the headquarters for the Aryan Nations' World Congress. Also, in 2008, neo-Nazi John Taylor Bowles utilized the building as the headquarters for his 2008 presidential campaign.
In popular culture
It was the basis for an American drama film, '' Burden'', written and directed by Andrew Heckler. The film stars
Forest Whitaker
Forest Steven Whitaker (born July 15, 1961) is an American actor. He is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a British Academy Film Award, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.
After making his f ...
as Reverend Kennedy and Garrett Hedlund as 'Mike' Burden and premiered at the
2018 Sundance Film Festival
The 2018 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 18 to January 28, 2018. The first lineup of competition films was announced on November 29, 2017.
Awards
The following awards were presented:
* U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize Award: '' Th ...