Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Entertainment
EntertainmentMusicPolitics

22K People Want to Take White Supremacy and ‘Flip It and Reverse It’ for Missy Elliott Statue

Posted byBy Kiersten Willis | Published on: CommentsComments (0)

One of Missy Elliot’s longtime fans launched a petition, which reached its initial goal within a day, to have her statue replace the Confederate one in her hometown. (Change.org screenshot)

 

A Virginia man’s call to “put white supremacy down, flip it and reverse it” by replacing a Confederate monument with Missy Elliot’s statue continues to gain steam — and Missy says it’s “humbling.”

The viral petition started by Nathan Coflin of Portsmouth, Va., has attracted more than 22,000 supporters since he posted it on change.org Saturday, Aug. 19. The goal is to gain 25,000 signatures to present to city officials.

“We believe it is time to finally replace the Confederate monument in Olde Towne Portsmouth, Va., near the intersection of Court and High streets with a new statue of a true Portsmouth native hero,” Coflin’s letter to Mayor John L. Rowe, Vice Mayor Paige Cherry and four council members began. “Who better to encapsulate the culture and spirit of the city enshrined in a new monument than Grammy Award-winning rapper, dancer and record producer Missy ‘Misdemeanor’ Elliott?”

“Together, we can put white supremacy down, flip it and reverse it,” he concluded, adding that the rapper is “is everything the Confederacy was not.”

Catch Up On How Missy Elliot Can ‘Work It’

  1. Michelle Obama Sends Twitter in a Frenzy When She’s Joined by Missy Elliot on Carpool Karaoke
  2. Missy Elliott’s Triumphant Super Bowl Return Causes Major Sales Spike for the Hip Hop Icon
  3. The 2012 Black Girls Rock Awards Show Performances: Ciara, Brandy, Missy

Coflin, who told The Washington Post he is a history buff and longtime fan of the MC’s, said he didn’t expect the petition to attract the attention that it has.

“I thought it was kind of a pipe dream,” he said to the publication. “But the more it got out there and the more exposure it’s getting, the more I think it’s a real possibility. People are taking it seriously. Whether the Portsmouth City Council will take it seriously is another matter.”

For now, many who aren’t in the City Council or in Virginia — where a deadly incident at a white supremacist rally last weekend has led Charlottesville, Va., Mayor Michael Signer to reconsider his stance on Confederate monuments — have applauded Coflin’s efforts.

Related Stories

Back to top