A Protest In Trump Country Brings Home Nation’s Race Divides

ROWLAND, N.C. (AP) — America's divisions over racism and nationalism have come home to the most diverse rural county in the U.S.

After six African-American cheerleaders decided to kneel during the national anthem at a high school football game, people in Robeson County, North Carolina, found themselves on opposite sides of a familiar debate. Robeson's population is split among whites, African-Americans and Native Americans, and the county had long voted Democratic in presidential elections. But last year it flipped Republican and supported Donald Trump.

Many in the community have been offended by the president's racially tinged remarks and tweets — including those about the protests going on around the NFL. Others see a president standing up for patriotism and honor. That same debate erupted after the teens decided to demonstrate.