Arkansas billboard promotes white pride radio, KKK leader claims it’s ‘not racist’

This photo taken on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2014, shows a new billboard in Harrison, Ark., that advertises the web-based "whiteprideradio.com" which has been rented by the Knights Party of Zinc, formerly the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, and comes just a year after another billboard carrying a racist message was taken down. (AP Photo/Harrison Daily Times, James White) less This photo taken on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2014, shows a new billboard in Harrison, Ark., that advertises the web-based "whiteprideradio.com" which has been rented by the Knights Party of Zinc, formerly the Knights ... more Photo: James White, File Photo/Twitter Photo: James White, File Photo/Twitter Image 1 of / 49 Caption Close Arkansas billboard promotes white pride radio, KKK leader claims it’s ‘not racist’ 1 / 49 Back to Gallery

A billboard in Harrison, Arkansas, is promoting “whiteprideradio.com” and is being paid for by a group formerly known as the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan.

Knights Party national director Thom Robb told The Harrison Daily Times the group is leasing the space for a year. Robb was national director of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, which The Southern Poverty Law Center says Robb renamed the Knights Party.

The billboard shows a young white girl holding a puppy next and reads, “It’s NOT Racist to (love) Your People,” with a heart image replacing the word love. It refers passersby to www.whiteprideradio.com, which redirects Internet users to wwww.kkkradio.com.

The website promotes a quote in its banner, “My family LOVES it! There are shows for ALL of us – Even the Kids!” and includes a schedule for radio programs throughout the day.

When asked if the billboard could be deemed racist, Robb told the Harrison newspaper “What is a racist? Everyone has their own definition of it.”

The reaction on social media has been mixed, with some defending the billboard while others expressing shock and disappointment.

Another billboard in Harrison that read “Anti-Racist is a Code Word for Anti-White” was taken down just more than a month ago.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

twhite@mysa.com

Twitter: @tylerlwhite