An Oklahoma woman has posted a video blasting a TikToker over her controversial remark that data centers shouldn’t be built in good communities. Instead, she suggests they should be built in places like Flint, Michigan. The woman bashes this, saying that this is just another way of reinventing structural racism.
The video includes a clip from the creator, Bo Grant, stating how data centers are causing communities to die. She asks, “Then why are they putting it in good communities?” Afterwards, she suggests, “Why not places like Flint, Michigan?” Her argument is that the Flint community can’t use the water already because it’s toxic. Grant goes on to say she doesn’t understand why they have to go to good communities “and ruin their lives.”
The Oklahoma woman feels “this is not the take [she] seems to think it was.” She explains that the issue in Flint was not the water itself, but the corroding pipes. And says, “Maybe discontinue using the phrase ‘good communities’ when using it in contrast to say, Flint, Michigan, a predominantly black community.” The woman believes Grant’s statements have “reinvented the same exact structural racism that our country has been using against black and brown communities.” She lists several examples: the sewage treatment plant in Harlem, landfills in Houston, and mining in the Navajo Nation. She says, “You’re not suggesting anything new, sweetheart.” The video has over 460,000 views, over 1000 comments, and over 93,000 likes.
Many Applaud Oklahoma Woman For Speaking Out
Several are shocked by the controversial statement from Grant, with one person saying, “The way my jaw dropped” when they watched the video. Others are grateful that the Oklahoma woman chose to speak out. One says, “Thank you for speaking on this. You’ve got a new follower.” Another agrees, “I want to thank you for your voice.”
Several have decided to block or unfollow the TikToker after watching her response. One says, “I don’t need any opinions from her, knowing they are being filtered through the lens of someone who thinks like that.” Another says, “I follow Bo Grant, and I usually like her take on things, but this is very uncool.” Another argues, “It’s not uncool, it’s RACIST.”
The original video has since been deleted after backlash. However, Grant has posted a follow-up, claiming she didn’t know the demographics of Flint when she posted the video.
