Bree Newsome Bass is trending again, this time for claiming that people who wave American Flags are white supremacists. It was in a tweet posted on July 4 that Bree criticized those who waved the American Flag. The tweet had its comments section turned off.
The tweet amassed over 4.5 million views, at the time of writing. Due to the comments being turned off, netizens responded to it through quote retweets. A majority of Americans, regardless of color, ethnicity, or race came together to bash Bree's statement and wish her a Happy Independence Day.
In her tweet, Bree stated that anyone happily waving an American Flag was either a white supremacist or an uninformed person. The tweet received more than 800 likes. This tweet was a response to a tweet she had earlier posted, which stated that the American Supreme Court was replacing the Constitution with itself.
Bree Newsome Bass shot to fame for taking down the Confederate Flag
Bree Newsome Bass shot to fame on June 27, 2015, when she climbed the flagpole outside the South Carolina State House and took down the waving Confederate Flag. She was immediately arrested by the police. However, due to her actions going viral, South Carolina took off the flag from the state house.
While on top of the pole, she yelled:
"In the name of Jesus, this flag has to come down. You come against me with hatred and oppression and violence. I come against you in the name of God. This flag comes down today."
Her actions triggered a nationwide conversation on the Confederate flag. The major attention and backlash it received at the time, forced then-South Carolina Governor, Nikki Haley to sign the bill to get rid of the flag. The flag was lowered on July 9, 2015. Bree's act helped permanently remove a flag that was raised in 1961 as a symbol of opposition to the Civil rights movement.
However, this is not the only piece of activism Bree Newsome Bass has been engaged in. She marched with Occupy Wall Street in 2011 and traveled from North Carolina to Florida during the occupation of the state house by the Dream Defenders as a protest against the murder of Trayvon Martin.
She was a participant in the 11-mile Beavercreek march against the police killing of John Crawford in 2014. Bree Newsome Bass was also one of the founders of Tribe, an organization created to confront the issues of structural racism and police brutality, in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Apart from her activism, the 38-year-old is a talented musician and filmmaker. Her short film, Wake, has bagged many accolades, including the award for Best Short Film at the BET Urban World Film Festival. She studied film at NYU's Tisch School of Arts.
How netizens reacted to Bree Newsome Bass' latest tweet
Despite her many achievements, Bree Newsome Bass' tweet was met with staunch opposition. Quote replies lambasted Bree for her views on the American Flag. Netizens called her a coward for locking her comments sections. People of all races expressed that they were proud to be American and waved the US Flag.
Despite criticizing her, users wished Bree a Happy Independence Day.