‘Taking A Knee’ Protest Divides North Carolina Town: Report

High School cheerleaders who recently “took a knee” in protest of racial injustice have illuminated racial divisions in Robeson County, North Carolina, a county that voted for Donald Trump in the presidential election, the Associated Press reports.

When six Rowland, N.C. cheerleaders recently decided to quietly make the protest following similar protests by national athletes across the country and President Trump’s call for them to be fired, members of their community were divided and lashed out over social media, forcing a national level conversation in their small town.

“Small rural towns tend to be forgotten because we don’t have a lot of people yelling about the racial injustices. It’s a way of life. People are just used to it,” Methodist pastor Rev. Shawn Mitchell told the AP. “People ignore it and keep on going. Well, our younger generation said, ‘No, we’re not going to ignore it anymore. We’re going to let people know it’s happening here also. ”

Read the full AP report here.

WATCH: Taking A Knee In Trump Country

AP Photo/David Goldman