A new Alabama county chairman of the local Republican Party, embattled after posting a racially-tinged image to Facebook, said he will not give up his seat on the local school board.
Shanon Terry issued a statement Thursday insisting he will not resign from his elected position on the Lawrence County Board of Education.
Related: Lawrence County Republican Party apologizes for GOP logo with Ku Klux Klan imagery
Terry has come under fire after posting an image Monday of a Republican elephant on the Lawrence County GOP Facebook page. That image also included three hooded people between the legs of the elephant suggestive of the Ku Klux Klan.
Terry has apologized for posting the image, saying he did not realize the suggestive theme of the image and had merely done an internet search for a GOP elephant to include in the post announcing the change in leadership at the Lawrence GOP.
Terry’s full statement Thursday:
“I will not be resigning from my elected office on the Lawrence County School Board. The voters of District Four elected me to represent them and I am proud of the accomplishments of this administration over the past six years. I look forward to continuing to strive to give every student in Lawrence County the best opportunity to be successful.
“I regret the mistake that was made, and it was just that- an unintended mistake. The image posted by me on a political Facebook page was not done with any malicious or harmful intent. Once made aware of the negative portion of the picture I immediately replaced it and followed up with an apology/explanation the next day. My error was rushing to post a thank you note to the outgoing chairperson, in doing so I did not properly review a cut and paste image used in that post from an internet search for a “GOP elephant”. I do not support or agree with any hate group agenda and certainly would not try to further their cause.
“I strive to be an open and honest person who works to be a positive influence in my community. I feel I am being incorrectly portrayed by some over this unfortunate issue. I have apologized, taken responsibility for the post, corrected the image, and posted an explanation. I know that these actions to address this regretful error may not satisfy everyone, but I believe they demonstrate the sincerity of my feelings on this matter.”
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