Suggestion to segregate black Republicans draws controversy
A Towson University student's suggestion that black Republicans segregate themselves from the rest of the party generated waves of controversy at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday.
During a panel that focused on attracting more minority support to the GOP, two black conservatives identified themselves "Frederick Douglass Republicans."
That label prompted Towson student Scott Terry to reply that a more appropriate moniker might be the "Booker T. Washington Republicans," who would be "united like the hand, but separate like the fingers," according to a video of the exchange posted by liberal blog ThinkProgress.
He also said slave-owners centuries ago should have been commended for "feeding and housing" their slaves.
After the panel, the blog reported that Terry asked, "Why can't we just have segregation?"
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Terry, who was sporting a Rick Santorum sticker and claimed to be a direct descendant of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, told ThinkProgress he'd "be fine with" a society in which African-Americans were permanently subservient to white people. He also said African-Americans "should be allowed to vote in Africa."
At one point, when challenged on the heritage of the GOP by a female onlooker, Terry responded, "I didn't know the legacy of the Republican Party included women correcting men in public."
One of the black Republicans approached by Terry said in a statement that, despite Terry's "racially insensitive remarks ... I further explained to him the Frederick Douglass Republican message, which he embraced, bought a book, and we left as friends."