A Maryland Democrat delegate was forced to apologize to the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland on Monday night after she allegedly referred to a predominately black county as being a “n****r district.”.
“Delegate Mary Ann Lisanti allegedly used the racial slur to describe Prince George’s County while talking to a white colleague who campaigned in the district at an after-hours gathering at an Annapolis cigar bar,” The Daily Mail reported. “The population of Prince George’s County is 62 percent African American, according to the US Census Bureau.”
“She apologized several times,” Caucus chair Del Darryl Barnes (D) told The Washington Post. “She recognizes how she has hurt so many within the caucus, and she hoped to repent from this. She said that she doesn’t remember fully what happened, but she recognizes what happened.”
“I do think that someone who uses the word, it’s a reflection of what’s in their heart,” Barnes added.
The Post noted that the following lawmakers were in attendance at some point during the evening when Lisanti allegedly made the remark: “Del. Jay Walker (D-Prince George’s), who represents the district Lisanti was allegedly referring to; House Majority Whip Talmadge Branch (D-Baltimore City); Dels. Theresa E. Reilly (R-Harford), Warren E. Miller (R-Howard) and Carl L. Anderton Jr. (R-Wicomico); and state Sen. Brian J. Feldman (D-Montgomery).”
This is just the latest incident of blatant bigotry to rock the Democratic Party over the last several weeks.
On February 1, a photograph emerged of Virginia Democrat Governor Ralph Northam from his days in medical school that allegedly showed him in either a KKK hood or wearing blackface.
“Hours after the 35-year-old photo came to light Friday, Northam apologized for his decision to appear in it,” The Virginia Pilot reported. “Elected officials and activist groups from across the political spectrum called for him to resign.”
Northam initially admitted to being in the photo and then changed his statement hours later, claiming that it was not him.
“I am deeply sorry for the decision I made to appear as I did in this photo and for the hurt that decision caused then and now,” Northam initially said. “This behavior is not in keeping with who I am today and the values I have fought for throughout my career in the military, in medicine and in public service. But I want to be clear, I understand how this decision shakes Virginians’ faith in that commitment. I recognize that it will take time and serious effort to heal the damage this conduct has caused. I am ready to do that important work. The first step is to offer my sincerest apology and to state my absolute commitment to living up to the expectations Virginians set for me when they elected me to be their governor.”
The next day Northam changed his statement, saying that he was sure that he was not in that photo because he wore blackface on other occasions.
“Yesterday I took responsibility for content that appeared on my page in the Eastern Virginia Medical School yearbook that was clearly racist and offensive. I am not and will not excuse the content of the photo,” Northam said. “It was offensive, racist, and despicable. When my staff showed me the photo in question yesterday, I was seeing it for the first time.”
“I did not purchase the EVMS yearbook and I was unaware of what was on my page,” Northam continued. “When I was confronted with the images yesterday, I was appalled that they appeared on my page but I believed then and now that I am not either of the people in that photo. I stand by my statement of apology to the many Virginians who were hurt by seeing this content on a yearbook page that belongs to me.”
“My belief that I did not wear that costume or attend that party stems in part from my clear memory of other mistakes I made in the same period of my life,” Northam added. “That same year, I did participate in a dance contest in San Antonio in which I darkened my face as part of a Michael Jackson costume.”
WATCH:
Democrat Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam admits to using blackface “as part of a Michael Jackson costume,” but says he is not pictured in the racist yearbook photo.pic.twitter.com/YzVoBWDm0v
— Kyle Morris (@RealKyleMorris) February 2, 2019
