Hardin County republican chair getting national attention after racist post

Chairwoman of the Hardin County Republican Party Bobbie Coleman has deleted a social media post some in her own party are calling “vile and reprehensible”.

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A Hardin County woman is now getting national attention after sharing a social media video depicting former President Barack Obama and his wife as apes. The Kentucky Republican Party said they are now investigating the matter and will take the harshest action available.

State GOP Chairman Robert J. Benvenuti III condemned the post. “The Republican Party of Kentucky condemns hate in all its forms,” he said in a statement Saturday.

Bobbie Coleman deleted the video after posting it, writing she shared it to celebrate President Trump's successful policy achievements and "as someone who does not engage with racist tropes, I did not consider the underlying meaning that this video may have had."

The video depicted the Obamas as monkeys dancing to a song from “The Lion King.” It depicted other Democrats as animals and Republican President Donald Trump as a lion.

Associating Black people with animals, particularly apes, has deep historical roots in promoting and enforcing the idea of Black people being subhuman. It has been used to justify violence, oppression, and discriminatory treatment against them.

Now, national media outlets, including the Washington Post, are reporting on the incident.

The Kentucky Republican Party didn't say specifically what actions it might take against Coleman, or anyone else who was involved, but only that they were investigating it.

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