people vs racists Twitter backs Bubba Wallace after noose found in garage

‘It’s not whites vs blacks, it’s people vs racists’: Twitter backs Bubba Wallace after noose found in his garage

Twitter has Bubba Wallace's back after a noose was found in his NASCAR garage. 1

WIkimedia

Bubba Wallace arrived at the Talladega Superspeedway to find a noose hanging in his garage. But this African American NASCAR driver, who successfully called for the Confederate flag to be banned from NASCAR events, is not backing down.

“No one should feel uncomfortable when they come to a NASCAR race. It starts with Confederate flags,” Wallace had told Don Lemon on CNN. “Get them out of here.”

NASCAR backed Bubba’s play — and progressed beyond the president

Two days later, NASCAR did just that, banning the display of the Confederate flag at their events, and announcing that the presence of this symbol, “runs contrary to our commitment to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment… Bringing people together around a love for racing and the community that it creates is what makes our fans and sport special.”

On the same day that the current occupant of the White House vowed to keep places of honor at military bases for Confederate commanders, NASCAR announced that “The display of the Confederate flag will be prohibited from all NASCAR events and properties.”

Apparently, someone is having trouble getting behind this result, but plenty of Twitter users have Wallace’s back, and the hashtag #IStandwithBubba is all over Twitter — and the Talladega infield.

Here’s how the racers entered the track.

NASCAR drivers throw their support behind Bubba Wallace

An aerial photograph of the Talladega Superspeedway.

Wikimedia

NASCAR drivers pushed Bubba’s car along the track and greeted him with love and support. His competition may want to beat Bubba Wallace on the track, but it’s clear they are happy to have him among them.

Really, it’s not a tough choice

Whether it’s seeing Bubba Wallace after he found the noose, or just looking around at the world, people know they’d rather be on Bubba’s side than a bigot’s.

If they were trying to scare Bubba Wallace, better luck next time

A photograph of Bubba Wallace at a NASCAR press conference.

Wikimedia / Zach Catanzareti

Bubba has no intention of backing down.

Considering it was Wallace that called for the ban on Confederate flags, it doesn’t seem likely that this will stop him from speaking out.

Bubba didn’t win at Talladega

But you couldn’t tell that by his grin at the finish.

This is not Bubba Wallace’s first day as a hero

A photograph of Bubba Wallace in his race gear.

Wikimedia

It looks like people already looked up to Bubba even before he took his stand.

Bubba has a lot of new fans…

…and some of them are a pretty big deal.

Some are old fans feeling the pull back to the track

Twitter has Bubba Wallace's back after a noose was found in his NASCAR garage. 2

pxfuel

NASCAR may benefit from this ban in more ways than the simple satisfaction of landing on the right side of Bubba Wallace’s challenge. Twitter is loaded with people who have skipped trips to the track to avoid the racist element.

And some people are ready to give NASCAR a try

Bubba Wallace may draw a crowd that’s never even seen at a track before. And other NASCAR drivers are going to have fans in the stands that would have never come before the ban.

Although some people may need a little introduction to the sport.

If you think the noose was a plant, you’re just proving the point for Black Lives Matter activists

A photograph of protestors. One carries and anti-hate sign.

Unsplash / T. Chick McClure

Some Tweets accuse Bubba Wallace or NASCAR organizers of planting the noose as a publicity stunt. In a time when the fight for racial justice is more visible and powerful than it has been for decades, those who see a noose as a ‘stunt” don’t seem to have much empathy.

No one seems to be laughing at the nooses that were hung up in Milwaukee, with pictures of African Americans who have died at the hands of police.

Good riddance

It doesn’t sound like there are too many people who are going to miss this symbol of racism or those who defend it.

And there is only one driver who seems to have a problem with the flag’s departure. Ray Ciccarelli posted a bombastic (and slightly unintelligible) message to announce his retirement from NASCAR.

“I don’t believe in kneeling during Anthem nor taken ppl right to fly what ever flag they love,” read Ciccarelli’s Facebook post. “I could care less about the Confederate Flag but there are ppl that do and it doesn’t make them a racist all you are doing is f—— one group to cater to another and I ain’t spend the money we are to participate in any political BS!! So everything is for SALE!!”

But there is still one Confederate flag that will appear at NASCAR tracks:

the last flag the confederates ever raised — the white flag.

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