Virginia Mayor Apologizes for Calling Kamala Harris ‘Aunt Jemima’
Before presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden picked Senator Kamala Harris to be his running mate, Republican Mayor Barry Presgraves of Luray, Virginia posted his predictions to Facebook. He shared a post that read: “Joe Biden has just announced Aunt Jemima as his VP pick.”
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After being called out by many people on social media who demanded for him to be replaced, he has decided to apologize to Kamala for referring to her as the recently-retired advertising icon and racial stereotype.
In a prepared statement, Barry said,
“I want to make this very clear to everyone, with absolutely no qualifications: I understand what I posted on social media was wrong, offensive and unbecoming,” he said, according to the town’s official minutes from the meeting. “It does not reflect what was in my heart.” He added, “I also want to make a direct apology to all people of color and women. Passing off demeaning and worn out racial stereotypes as humor isn’t funny. I now fully understand how hurtful it is, and I can and will do better, and we can all do better. We must. From the bottom of my heart, I am sorry and humbly ask for your forgiveness and your grace.”
As we previously reported, Biden officially announced California Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate on Tuesday after pledging to select an African American woman for his ticket.
“I have the great honor to announce that I’ve picked @KamalaHarris — a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country’s finest public servants — as my running mate. Back when Kamala was Attorney General, she worked closely with Beau. I watched as they took on the big banks, lifted up working people, and protected women and kids from abuse. I was proud then, and I’m proud now to have her as my partner in this campaign,” he tweeted.
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