A Stanly Community College trustee’s Facebook post last week drew social media backlash and criticisms of racism, prompting the school to say publicly that trustees’ posts don’t represent the school or its policies.
Trustee Kelly Lowder, who is white, complained on the platform Thursday about “double standards” when white people use the “N-word.”
“You can say the N-word 15 times in a 3 minute rap tune, but god forbid some asshole gets on your nerves and your pasty self lets one drop. #Shiloh,” he wrote, referring to Shiloh Hendrix, a Minnesota woman charged with disorderly conduct after yelling racial slurs at a Black child on a playground.
The post went on about concerns “if white people ‘lose’ in the US,” suggesting they have in other countries like Haiti and Zimbabwe. “The number of people in the world that can’t or won’t produce enough economic output to feed themselves has risen 5-fold in my lifetime,” Lowder wrote. “Well, maybe the world needs a good purge.”
He said in the comments that he used “purge” to mean “starvation as a natural consequence of not having enough productive individuals to feed all the rest.”
He also posted an image of Hendrix next to a mugshot of DeCarlos Brown, a Black man charged with stabbing a woman on the Charlotte light rail in September. He has been deemed incapable of proceeding to trial. Above the image reads: “Shiloh Hendrix is on trial for saying a word before DeCarlos Brown is for murder. Insane.”
The post quickly gained traction on Reddit. “SCCC is an excellent community college in an area of great need, and it sucks that this clown is sullying their good reputation,” one anonymous comment reads. Another says: “Everyone should be contacting the board and demanding his removal!”
Stanly Community College on Monday posted on Facebook that the Board of Trustees operates independently of the college’s administration and that matters involving board governance are addressed by the board itself. The statement says personal social media posts by individual trustees do not represent the board or the college.
“Stanly Community College is deeply committed to providing an environment where individuals from all backgrounds and experiences are welcomed, valued, treated with dignity and respect, and given every opportunity to succeed,” the statement read. A spokesperson provided the same statement to The Assembly.
Lowder wrote in a Facebook message to The Assembly that his post refers to anti-white racism, which he said “very few people have the moral courage to be honest about.” When The Assembly asked Lowder if the post could be offensive to students, staff, or faculty at Stanly Community College, he responded: “Anything anyone says can be offensive to anyone else. I’ve found that many people are easily offended by things I say until they get to know me.”
Lowder said that his views do not represent anyone else at the college.
“When I agreed to serve my community, I didn’t sign away my right to have my own political views,” Lowder told The Assembly. “I’m proud of my service over the last decade and we’ve created one of the best community colleges in the country for people of all walks of life.”
Lowder changed the post so that it can only be viewed by his Facebook friends due to death threats he’s received, he said.
Under state law, half of the trustees for each North Carolina community college are appointed by the local county commissioners, and the General Assembly appoints the other half. Lowder was appointed to the Stanly Community College Board of Trustees by the General Assembly in 2024 for a four-year term. State Rep. Cody Huneycutt and Sen. Carl Ford of Stanly County did not respond to requests for comment.
Stanly Community College was founded in 1971 in the county about an hour northeast of Charlotte. The college recently qualified as a finalist for the 2027 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, and it has a graduation rate that exceeds the national average.
About half of the college’s students are white. The next-largest racial group is Black students at about 20% of the student body.
Lowder is not afraid to share his personal views online. He recently posted a photo of Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham with the caption, “Smoking hot IMHO. Definitely watchable unlike the rest of them.”
When The Assembly asked Lowder how he would respond to community members who might find the post offensive, he said: “Why would anyone find it offensive that I enjoy watching a particular ball player? People like her are bringing a bunch of viewers and revenue to the WNBA. Everybody wins.”
He also reposted a YouTube video in July titled “What Makes a Man,” which was a 1960s recruiting video for the U.S. Air Force Academy. Lowder attended in the 1990s, according to his LinkedIn.
The post reads: “There are more modern videos closer to the time I went in but this is better without the overwhelming focus on ‘inclusivity’. I kind of liked it when we were all equally worthless. Now, *almost* everyone is special.”
“I am proud that we have a very inclusive and successful teaching environment at SCC,” Lowder told The Assembly.
