Arizona's only black legislators chastised after calling out a colleague's racial slur

[RandySF]

PHOENIX (AP) - The only two black members of the Arizona Legislature were formally chastised for speaking out against a Republican lawmaker's published column, which included a racial slur and they say derided black activists while attempting to discredit leaders of a teacher group protesting for better pay.

Rep. Maria Syms wrote in a column published in the Arizona Republic that the two best-known leaders of the #RedforEd movement are "political operatives" who are radicalizing Arizona youth. She called Noah Karvelis' classroom "exotic" and said he prides himself on teaching students music from the hip hop artist Kendrick Lamar. Syms included a lyric from the Pulitzer Prize-winning artist that included a derogatory term for African-Americans.

Democratic Rep. Reginald Bolding, who is black, said he was offended by the language she used.

"This article attempts to discredit this teacher because he may have introduced lyrics in the classroom written by a black entertainer," Bolding said. "This article attempts to discredit this teacher because he 'takes inspiration' from a black civil rights activist. This article attempts to discredit this teacher because he 'admires' a professor that taught at a historically black college for women.

"The more I read the more I was disappointed that it appears to be OK to use a racial slur about black people in the article," Bolding continued. "Let me be crystal clear: It's not acceptable to us a racial slur even if that slur is used as a quote."

Majority Republicans voted to formally rebuke Bolding as well as the only other black member of the Legislature, Democratic Rep. Geraldine Peten, when she began speaking on the same subject.

The fight was at least the third this year where Democrats were shut down over what Republicans called violations of House rules of decorum and debate.




https://www.wsbtv.com/news/arizonas-only-black-legislators-chastised-after-race-talk/738619182

[barbtries]

1. abuse of power

republicans suck in virtually every way imaginable.

[Wellstone ruled]

2. The true colors of the GOP .

Crap like this tells one a Story about Arizona. And it ain't very Pretty to say the least.

[RainCaster]

3. Sounds like Arizona is a good place for me to avoid as I travel

I don't like to support redneck a$$holes like those.

[Blue_true]

4. The black population in Arizona is small, around 5%,

mostly concentrated in Phoenix and Tucson. Hispanics make up around 33% of the population, but as Jane Brewer dismissively said "Hispanics don't vote". I think that a coalition of Hispanics, liberal and moderate Whites and the few Blacks in Arizona can flip a lot of seats and change the state, but Hispanics must vote in large numbers.

[Cha]

5. Fucking AZ trump doormats.