It's no secret that there's a chasm that divides many blacks and the recent arrivals of illegal aliens. There is a feeling among many American blacks that the city and state giving housing, clothing, and food to the recent arrivals, and that is unfair to those citizens who were already here.
The president of the Illinois chapter of the NAACP, Teresa Haley, in a conference call with NAACP presidents across the state earlier this year, only verbalized what many blacks have been thinking since the surge of humanity at the border began.
“But Black people have been on the streets forever and ever, and nobody cares, because they say that we’re drug addicts, we’ve got mental health issues,” she said. “But these immigrants who come over here, they’ve been raping people, they’ve been breaking into homes, they’re like savages as well. They don’t speak the language and they look at us like we’re crazy.”
Haley's remarks were recorded by Patrick Watson, former president of the DuPage County Branch NAACP. Watson says he resigned in protest of Haley's remarks.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said the remarks by Haley were "reprehensible."
“I would hope that she would apologize for the remarks,” he said. “I also think that people should recognize that immigrants in this country are all around us. … Virtually all of us came here from somewhere else. So remarks like that are commentary on our entire society. Extraordinarily inappropriate.”
Haley, who was on vacation in Dubai, got into further trouble when she first denied she had said what she said and then, when told there was a video of her rant, claimed that the video had been faked. "With AI, anything is possible," she said.
Other NAACP members made comments about migrants getting resources that Blacks did not, but, he said, “She was the only one that used this derogatory, hateful language.”
“I’m seeing a lot of division, and they’re only fanning the flames,” Watson said. “This is not the sentiment of the Black community as a whole, it’s a vocal minority. Public sentiment is very much in favor of helping migrants in DuPage. You can be for raising up your people without denigrating other people.”
Watson tried getting in touch with the National NAACP about Haley's comments and got no response. The Tribune also reached out to the national office which "did not immediately respond to the Tribune’s requests for comment." It takes time to circle the wagons.
Finally, the Secretary of the Illinois NAACP chapter, Carla Jackson-Campbell, didn't appear to believe that Jackson had recorded the conference call.
“We are still evaluating all of the information and awaiting more details,” she said. “Our mission is and always will be to achieve equity and political rights and social inclusion by advancing the needs of Black people. President Haley does embrace the mission of our beloved NAACP.”
That settles that. Haley may be a bigot, but she's our bigot and gets a pass because of that.
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In the recording, Haley portrayed blacks as "kind" and "friendly."
“We were the only people in America who were brought over here against our wills and we’re slaves, sold into slavery,” she said. “But unlike everybody else who comes over here, we’re so kind, we’re so friendly, you need some clothes, you need a place to stay, we’re gonna make it happen.”
And Haley's use of the "N" word riled Watson.
“So brother, I feel your pain,” Haley said. “I’m trying not to be a (N-word), but you know I’m pro-Black.”
Immigrants and the children and grandchildren of immigrants have made America what it is today. There's no reason to believe that immigrants today will be any less generous or "kind and friendly" than immigrants in the past. Haley is an ignoramus and should be fired for bigotry and racism.
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