Civil rights museum targeted with racial harassment after city loan forgiven
GREENSBORO -- Welcome news that the International Civil Rights Center & Museum has met an important fundraising goal and no longer owes on a city loan brought an unwelcome backlash late Thursday afternoon: A handful of threatening phone calls.
CEO John Swaine said the staff received four or five phone calls that he characterized as “quite ugly.” Callers berated staff with the word “n***er” and said things like, “Y’all pay y’all’s debts, deadbeats.”
Thursday’s announcement that the city was forgiving a $1.5 million loan made over a two-year period from 2013 to 2015 did not come unexpected. Under the terms of the loan, the city agreed to forgive one dollar for every dollar raised by the museum to help satisfy outstanding tax credit payment obligations.
While noting violent episodes in recent years like the 2015 Charleston Massacre and the Unite the Right Rally last year in Charlottesville, Swaine said the increasing prevalence of white supremacy is not typically at the forefront of his mind.
Read more: https://triad-city-beat.com/civil-rights-museum-targeted-racial-harassment-city-loan-forgiven/