In trying to stay relevant news, former Real Housewives of Atlanta troublemaker Marlo Hampton thought it was a good idea to rock a controversial outfit to a recent NASCAR event this past weekend. 

Dressed up in ripped jeans, red heels and a red Chanel quilted bag, she also rocked a Black T-shirt that said “I ♥ My Redneck Boyfriend” with hearts made out of Confederate flags.

Sigh. 

What’s worse is that she claimed that by wearing the shirt, she was promoting equality — the exact opposite of what the Confederate flag stands for. Of course, folks dragged her for being so clueless of American history.

On The Shade Room’s Facebook page, one woman wrote, “Of course she loves her redneck boyfriend. That's her income.” Welp!

Another person wrote, “The words aren't offensive but you would think an educated Black woman would know enough about her history than to wear a Confederate flag.” Another said, “Same ‘rednecks’ that fought a war against their own country to keep their slaves. Congratulations, you're stupid.”

Soon after, Hampton took to her Instagram page to send an apology. She claimed that she didn’t know that the shirt would set off this type of reaction or offend others, but that this was about free speech.

“Please accept my sincere apologies for any offense that was taken by my previous post. Please watch this video to understand my point of view. It was not my intention to hurt or disrespect anyone. I truly respect all of your opinions and point of views. Thank you to @c_brewton for inviting me to my first NASCAR experience, opened my eyes and I learned a lot. We live in a very big world and while not all point of views will be understood they definitely should be respected. Again, my deepest apologies.”

It’s pretty unbelievable how a Black woman, especially one who lives in the South, is shocked that her shirt provoked this type of response. The flag stands for upholding slavery, racial hatred and the degradation of the Black body. Not to mention, over the past year, thanks to the hateful killings at Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston, the Confederate flag and what it stands for has been a trending topic in the media. 

Guess Hampton doesn’t watch the news.

It’s also unclear how anyone can try to explain this away as just free speech. Like there is no way a Nazi flag can be explained away as anything else other than hatred and genocide. Try again. 

In fairness, Hampton isn’t the only one to wear the flag. Rappers like Kanye West, Lil Wayne and Outkast have all worn forms of the flag, claiming that it was some subversive statement on how African-Americans are still reeling from slavery. 

But either way, clueless or woke, can we just agree to stop and bury this flag for good? Living in this #BlackLivesMatter era, we have more than enough contemporary examples of the realities of racism in America. 

Thanks.