Robeson County Board of Commissioners’ Chairman David Edge did not attend Monday’s board meeting in person, days after his Facebook account posted a meme that called President Barack Obama “a Black racist queer.” Instead, he tuned in via Zoom.
But Edge’s physical absence from the regularly scheduled meeting didn’t stop residents from admonishing him. Nine people spoke out against the social media post, which has since been deleted. Some called for Edge to resign or for the board to strip him of his leadership role. Some encouraged a boycott of Edge’s business, Image Supply, which sells industrial supplies.
John Campbell, a pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church, said county leaders should not say or do things that create division.
“Many people want Mr. Edge off the Board of Commissioners,” Campbell said. “Your county code of ethics says commissioners are expected to act with integrity, avoiding actions of personal communication that creates a conflict of interest or damages public trust.”
The meme featured a picture of Obama with the words, “A Black racist queer was president for 8 years and not one crazy redneck Republican ever took a shot at him.” It was posted on Edge’s page after a gunman attempted to enter the White House correspondents’ dinner on April 24.
Edge, who is white, posted a statement on Facebook on April 29, after the meme had been deleted, saying he did not create the meme but simply wanted to hear other people’s opinions on it.
“I am sorry that it offended anyone,” Edge, a Republican, said in the post. He also encouraged those who were offended “to take the same actions” when they see similar posts about conservative activist Charlie Kirk, President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, “or anyone else other than your Hero.”
Robeson, home to about 120,000 people, is among the most diverse counties in the state. About 41% of residents are Native American, most of them members of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina or the Tuscarora. About 30% are white and 24% are Black.
Racial tensions are common in Robeson County, where some Black residents have called for county commissioners to remove a large Confederate statue from the front of the courthouse in Lumberton.
“We should not be surprised when harmful words are spoken by those entrusted with leadership in this county,” said Steve Taylor, a local pastor and member of the Ministers for Justice group. “The racist trope only echoes the very story we have chosen to elevate at the center of our community.”
Robeson County was a Democratic stronghold for more than a century, but many voters have switched to support Republican candidates. Obama won the county in 2008 and 2012, and then Trump won the county in the next three elections.
Republicans gained a majority on the Robeson County Board of Commissioners for the first time in modern history in 2025, when three board members left the Democratic Party.
Edge did not publicly say why he tuned into the meeting virtually. He did not respond to a request for comment from Border Belt Independent.
Jerry Stephens, a former Robeson County commissioner and current president of the Unified Robeson County NAACP, accused Edge of being a “coward” for failing to attend Monday’s meeting in person.
“That’s why I’m losing a bit of respect for him, because he’s never made me feel like he was a coward,” Stephens said. “He always stood on his feet, said what he meant and left it like that, went on about his business.”
Commissioner John Cummings, a Republican, said Edge’s post was uncalled for.
“It’s inflammatory language, and that’s always incorrect,” Cummings told Border Belt Independent.
Edge is running for reelection in November, when he will face Democratic challenger Ray Cox.
Edge’s wife, Kathy Bryan Edge, defended him in a May 2 post on Facebook, saying the situation has been blown out of proportion “by folks hoping to benefit themselves and damage his image.”