A North Carolina community college is facing mounting scrutiny after one of its board trustees made inflammatory remarks about race, particularly Black people, on Facebook. The remark has triggered widespread backlash and prompted the institution to publicly distance itself from his views. Moreover, the trustee in question is now supposedly facing a libel case due to his statements.
Kelly Lowder, a member of the Stanly Community College Board of Trustees in North Carolina, came under fire after publishing a series of posts criticizing what he described as “double standards” over the use of racial slurs. In one post, Lowder argued that white people are “losing” in the United States and warned of dire consequences, adding that “maybe the world needs a good purge.”
The comment immediately ignited outrage online. Although Lowder later claimed he was referring to starvation resulting from economic decline rather than violence, critics said the language and other references in the post crossed a line.
Lowder also shared an image comparing Shiloh Hendrix, a Minnesota woman convicted of disorderly conduct after directing a racial slur at a Black child, with DeCarlos Brown, a Charlotte man charged in a fatal stabbing who has since been ruled incompetent to stand trial. Above the photos, Lowder questioned why Hendrix was “on trial for saying a word” before Brown’s murder case had proceeded.
The school wants none of it
Screenshots of the posts quickly spread across Reddit, where users accused the trustee of promoting racist talking points. Several commenters pointed to his references to Rhodesia, Zimbabwe, and Haiti, arguing they echoed rhetoric associated with racist or white supremacist movements. “The Haiti/Rhodesia/SA combo is a textbook white power dog whistle,” one Reddit user wrote, while another added that the references were “not so much a whistle as an air raid siren.”
“Oh, he is talking about Rhodesia, he is a hardcore racist not just a popularist antiwoke keyboard warrior,” claims one Reddit user. In response to the growing controversy, Stanly Community College released a statement emphasizing that the Board of Trustees operates independently of the school’s administration and that individual trustees’ social media posts do not represent the college or its policies.
Others criticized Lowder’s role at the college. “Stanly Community College is an excellent community college… and it sucks that this clown is sullying their good reputation,” one commenter wrote. Another urged residents to contact the board and demand his removal. College President Dr. John Enamait also reaffirmed the institution’s commitment to inclusion, saying faculty and staff work every day to support students from diverse backgrounds.
