Comments On Racial Controversies
- Trent Lott's comments about Strom Thurmond:
In December 2002, at a birthday party celebrating Strom Thurmond's 100th birthday, Republican Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott said, “When Strom Thurmond ran for president, we voted for him. We’re proud of it. And if the rest of the country had followed our lead, we wouldn't have had all these problems over the years, either.”
In a CNN interview the next day, Connerly said, "Supporting segregation need not be racist. One can believe in segregation and believe in equality of the races…" Asked why he called for Lott to step down as Senate Minority Leader, Connerly said:
| “ | I think that we are a very forgiving people but even when you are forgiven you often pay a price for things that you do and I'll tell you I can not listen to the words that you just played, the statement you just played, and come away feeling warm and cozy about those words. | ” |
- Ku Klux Klan support for Prop 2 in Michigan:
In 2006, while campaigning for Michigan's Proposal 2 to end state affirmative action programs, Connerly was filmed saying, "If the Ku Klux Klan thinks that equality is right, God bless them. Thank them for finally reaching the point where logic and reason are being applied, instead of hate." Responding to critics, Connerly issued a written statement clarifying his remarks. It said,
"Throughout my life I have made absolutely clear my disdain for the KKK. However, like all Americans, I hope that this group will move beyond its ugly history and agree that equality before the law is the ideal. If they or any group accepts equality for all people, I will be the first to welcome them."
- Harry Reid's 'Negro dialect' comment:
In their book Game Change (2010), Time Magazine's Mark Halperin and New York magazine's John Heilemann reported on a private conversation by Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. In 2008, Reid had said about then-U.S. Senator Barack Obama, that he believed the nation was ready to elect a "light-skinned" black man "with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one." A public controversy erupted over his comments.
Ward Connerly, writing an "Opinion" piece in the Wall Street Journal, said,
"For my part, I am having a difficult time determining what it was that Mr. Reid said that was so offensive ... Was it because he suggested that lighter-skinned blacks fare better in American life than their darker brothers and sisters? If so, ask blacks whether they find this to be true. Even the lighter-skinned ones, if they are honest with themselves, will agree that there is a different level of acceptance ... Was it because he used the politically incorrect term "negro"? If so, it should be noted that there are many blacks of my generation who continue to embrace this term. In fact, "negro" is an option along with "black" and "African-American" on the 2010 Census."
Read more about this topic: Ward Connerly
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