The mother of a little boy who went viral after she posted a video of him crying about how badly he was bullied is speaking out and pushing back against claims that she is a racist — accusations that are based on Facebook photos she posted of the Confederate flag.
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Kimberly Jones spoke out in an interview with “CBS This Morning” on Tuesday, explaining that the pictures were not meant to be seen as racist in nature.
“The only two photos — the only two photos on my entire planet that I am anywhere near a Confederate flag,” she said. “It was ironic It was funny.”
Jones denied that it had anything to do with racism and said that she has herself been bullied for not being a racist.
“I’ve said I spent most of my life being bullied and judged because I wasn’t racist,” she said.
Watch Jones and her son, Keaton, speak out below:
In a separate interview with “Good Morning America,” Jones said that anyone who knows her and her family is aware of the fact that they are not racists.
“I feel like anybody who wants to take the time to ask anybody who I am or even troll through some other pictures, I mean I feel like we’re not racist,” she said. “I mean, people that know us, know us.”
As for Keaton, he said that the massive impact of his original video — which he said was his idea and not his mom’s — made him feel like he had “accomplished something real” and that he could help positively change the world. Celebrities reached out with support and he found newfound friends all over the world.
That viral video of #KeatonJones talking about being bullied is heartbreaking, and I feel sympathetic towards that child.
But his mom, Kimberly on the other hand, is a suspected racist who makes very problematic posts bullying Black protesters #TheIrony pic.twitter.com/NUhidunP8z— Tariq Nasheed 🇺🇸 (@tariqnasheed) December 11, 2017
As Faithwire previously reported, the positive story about Keaton’s video took a bizarre turn on Monday when various critics on the internet turned against Jones, waging allegations that she had published “racist” Facebook posts in the past.
Snapshots allegedly emerged on Monday from Jones’ Facebook page that showed individuals — some said they were her children — holding Confederate flags. There was also a separate message that she purportedly sent in August that read:
Dear butt hurt Americans, If you aren’t bleeding, no bones are sticking out & you can breathe, STOP crying! For the love, some folks clearly never picked a switch. And before y’all start talking to me about metaphorical, emotional, financial or historical blood & brokenness, Don’t. Join a group.
The messages and photos led activist Tariq Nasheed to call Jones a “suspected racist” and said that she had “problematic posts bullying Black protesters,” though it is unclear what is being referred to here.
There were also seemingly fake accounts popping up that pretended to be Jones and were seeking money; at least one of those accounts is no longer active.
The original video of Keaton was posted on Friday. In it, he asked his mom: “Just out of curiosity, why do they bully? What’s the point of it? Why do you find joy in taking innocent people and finding a way to be mean to them,” before adding “it’s not okay.” Keaton’s mother responded, asking: “What did they say to you?”
“They make fun of my nose. They call me ugly. They say I have no friends,” Keaton answered as tears started to roll down his cheeks.
“What did they do to you at lunch?” his mom asked.
Keaton replied: “Poured milk on me and put ham down my clothes. Threw bread at me.”