Colorado State Rep Richard Holtorf referred to a colleague as “Buckwheat,” leading to a heated exchange and brief recess of the House. Democrats were enraged and said the term “Buckwheat” is a racist term when it has been used many times, even in movies:
The movie ‘The Hunt for Red October’ famously used the term:
“Hey, I think someone just shot a torpedo at us!”
“No shit, Buckwheat, now get the hell out of here!”
That exchange was between 2 white US Navy men.
Buckwheat was a nickname for one of the black Little Rascals gang and was famously parodied by Eddie Murphy on Saturday Night Live. Is this a racist term?
In the video below, Colorado State Rep. Holtorf said this to a WHITE colleague:
“I’m getting there. Don’t worry, Buckwheat. I’m getting there. That’s an endearing term, by the way.”
After the incident, local news reported the Republican lawmaker apologized after he was “reprimanded” for calling a white colleague “Buckwheat” during a debate on legislation:
What do you think about the incident? Should the lawmaker have apologized?
