The Missouri woman who went viral for waving a Confederate flag, praising the Ku Klux Klan and vowing to teach hate to her grandchildren while at a Black Lives Matter protest in Branson is apologizing.
āIām so, so sorry,ā Kathy Jenkins told Ozarks First. āI mean, if it would help for me to stand with Black Lives Matter, I absolutely would do that.ā
Jenkins said she āblacked outā during the event and doesnāt remember what she said as anti-racism protesters gathered outside a store that sells Confederate merchandise.
However, the moment was caught on a widely shared video as Jenkins ā decked out in a āMake America Great Againā cap and draped in a Confederate flag ā told the protesters she would teach her grandchildren to hate them.
āIām teaching them to fuckinā hate all of you people,ā she said, then she raised a fist and called out āKKK belief.ā
Jenkins said she does not support the KKK.
āI wasnāt saying Iām KKK or for the KKK,ā she told Ozarks First. āI was mocking them because I donāt like being called a racist.ā
She also said she lost her job and left Branson over the incident ā and promised to never wave a Confederate flag again.
āI didnāt understand that the Confederate flag meant hate,ā she told Ozarks First. āI donāt understand the whole history of the Confederate flag, but Iām learning.ā
At least some of the protesters arenāt buying her apology.
Mental health advocate Kenidra Woods said on Twitter that Jenkinsā vow to teach hate āhurt me to my core.ā
She added:
Protest organizer Faith Pittser was similarly unimpressed.
āShe knew exactly what she was doing,ā she told Ozarks First. āShe was there from the start on the counter-protestersā side shouting obscenities and hateful words at our protesters.ā
Dixie Outfitters, the store at the center of the demonstrations, called the protesters āthugsā who āhate our country.ā
The store is owned by a couple with a history of KKK support.
Anna Robb told the Springfield News Leader in 2015 that she had attended Klan events āyears agoā but that itās ānot even something that comes up anymore.ā
Husband Nathan Robb, the newspaper said, is the son of KKK leader Thomas Robb. Anna Robb said at the time that they hadnāt spoken with him in years.
City leaders in Branson, a major tourist hub, have had a mixed reaction to the events.
The Associated Press reports that the cityās aldermen were asked to denounce the KKK at a meeting on Tuesday. Two did so, two were silent and one responded by saying police need more support.