But I Always Liked Buckwheat!
Under fire for "racist remarks," Louisiana State Rep. Carla Blanchard Dartez, of Morgan City, has decided although she will not debate her opponent, she is not dropping out of the race.
All the commotion began after Dartez ended a conversation with the mother of the NAACP’s local president by saying, “Talk to you later, Buckwheat.” Now, in case anyone has forgetten who Buckwheat was, we've hooked you up with clip:
A a black child character in the “Little Rascals” comedies of the 1930s and ’40s, Buckwheat is viewed in some circles as a racial stereotype demeaning to black people. Personally, I never found the character offensive, and that's really the issue here. Did this incumbent politico use the term as a slur like former Virginia Senator George Allen's "Maccaca" quip that cost him his job?
That's certainly how it's coming off, but maybe Black folks are just being too damn sensitive. Sure Hazel Boykin is well-known as a 1960s civil rights activist, helping to desegregate restaurants and the parish school system. And granted her son, Jerome, is the NAACP’s president in Terrebonne Parish. The bottom line is, what caused Dartez to say what she said?
Serving the parishes since 1999, the senator has acknowledged she made the remark during a Thursday night telephone conversation with Hazel Boykin to "thank her" for driving voters to the polls. "I made an insensitive comment when speaking with Hazel Boykin, and I have apologized to the Boykin family and publicly for my choice of words," Dartez said in a statement. "I have a strong record of fighting for issues important to the African American community; in fact, I have a 93 percent voting record with the Black Caucus."
Under fire for "racist remarks," Louisiana State Rep. Carla Blanchard Dartez, of Morgan City, has decided although she will not debate her opponent, she is not dropping out of the race.
All the commotion began after Dartez ended a conversation with the mother of the NAACP’s local president by saying, “Talk to you later, Buckwheat.” Now, in case anyone has forgetten who Buckwheat was, we've hooked you up with clip:
A a black child character in the “Little Rascals” comedies of the 1930s and ’40s, Buckwheat is viewed in some circles as a racial stereotype demeaning to black people. Personally, I never found the character offensive, and that's really the issue here. Did this incumbent politico use the term as a slur like former Virginia Senator George Allen's "Maccaca" quip that cost him his job?
That's certainly how it's coming off, but maybe Black folks are just being too damn sensitive. Sure Hazel Boykin is well-known as a 1960s civil rights activist, helping to desegregate restaurants and the parish school system. And granted her son, Jerome, is the NAACP’s president in Terrebonne Parish. The bottom line is, what caused Dartez to say what she said?
Serving the parishes since 1999, the senator has acknowledged she made the remark during a Thursday night telephone conversation with Hazel Boykin to "thank her" for driving voters to the polls. "I made an insensitive comment when speaking with Hazel Boykin, and I have apologized to the Boykin family and publicly for my choice of words," Dartez said in a statement. "I have a strong record of fighting for issues important to the African American community; in fact, I have a 93 percent voting record with the Black Caucus."
But the "Buckwheat" remark is the latest bit of trouble for Dartez and her husband, Lenny, who is a member of the Democratic Party's State Central Committee. Recently, Carla Dartez was given a summons for improper lane usage after hitting a pedestrian with her vehicle. She failed a field sobriety test but passed a later Breathalyzer test. Earlier this month, Lenny Dartez was indicted on charges of allegedly harboring illegal immigrants through his construction business.
Maybe she should just start bringing the boxes now. We could be wrong, but this looks like it's going to be a wrap.