A southwest Ohio man who unfurled a Confederate battle flag at a school board meeting says he was trying to make a point about history. Others say his move was offensive.
The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that Sonny Thomas says his message was misinterpreted. He showed the flag at a recent Springboro board of education meeting in response to it backing off an earlier plan to offer a constitutional class with a religious theme. He says the flag means heritage to many people in the South and that he meant to educate and inform.
The Rev. Damon Lynch Jr. of Cincinnati, a civil rights leader, says Thomas' use of the flag without considering its racial overtones shows his ignorance.
Thomas was criticized three years ago for ranting against Hispanics on social media.