Black pro-Confederate activist Anthony Hervey killed in Mississippi crash after apparent car chase

A black Mississippi man who was known for his outspoken support of the Confederate Flag died Sunday following a car crash that was the result of an apparent car chase.

According to the Jackson Clarion-Ledger, 49-year-old Anthony Hervey died Sunday from injuries sustained in a roll-over crash of the SUV he was driving. Hervey's passenger, Arlene Barnum, has told police that their vehicle was being pursued at the time of the crash, which took place after a rally in Birmingham, Alabama in support of the Confederate Flag.

Hervey was a well-known personality in Oxford, the author of a 2006 book titled, Why I Wave the Confederate Flag, Written by a Black Man: The End of Ni**erism and the Welfare State. He would often dress in a Confederate soldier's uniform and wave the "stars and bars" flag in Oxford's town square, holding forth to onlookers about his views.

According to the book's Amazon page:

What makes this book dangerous is its raw honesty. Mr. Hervey lifts the veil of Black decadence at the same time he exposes the lies and political correctness of modern day America. Mr. Hervey said "I show that the Civil War was not fought over slavery and that the demise of my race in America is not of the White man, but rather of our own making. In this book I show how Blacks in America ran away from physical bondage to one far worse-- mental bondage."

Barnum reportedly gave Hervey a ride to Birmingham for a pro-Confederate Flag rally and at around 11:20 on Sunday morning, the two were returning to Mississippi with Hervey at the wheel.

Barnum -- the owner of the SUV -- said that before the crash, Hervey told her that a silver car was pursuing them and traveling at a high rate of speed to catch up. Hervey sped up to get away, then lost control of the black Ford Explorer, which veered off the road and flipped.

"HELP...They after us," Barnum posted to Facebook from the accident scene. "My vehicle inside down."

Moments later, she wrote, "Anthony Hervy pinned in, gas leaking."

The McAlester News-Capital said that Barnum was taken from the scene by ambulance with non-life threatening injuries.

Barnum told the newspaper that she and Hervey were not close, but that they are both black conservatives who are pro-Confederate Flag.

"I didn't know him, really," she said. "I gave him a ride to the rally."

She later posted a photo of the overturned vehicle taken at the scene.

Officials said that they cannot confirm the details of what led up to the crash, but that the investigation is ongoing.