House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) is facing backlash over a controversial editorial he wrote during his college days at Binghamton University. Published in the school newspaper, the article criticized prominent Black conservatives as being akin to enslaved people.
In the piece titled "White Media," Jeffries defended his uncle Leonard Jeffries, a professor of black studies, and Dr. Louis Farrakhan against accusations of antisemitism. He also attacked Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas for embracing the conservative movement and accused non-Black individuals of promoting their "right-wing agenda" while using token Black figures for racial diversity purposes.
Jeffries likened well-known conservative figures such as Justice Thomas and former Secretary of State Colin Powell to 'House Negroes,' arguing that they were complicit with white supremacist ideologies. The editorial touched on themes from Malcolm X's speeches about 'Field Negro' versus 'House Negro', claiming that those who adopted positions traditionally held by whites aimed to emulate their white counterparts.
Republican Rep. Byron Donalds discussed this issue on Fox News' Hannity show, where he condemned these views as divisive and harmful to political discourse between races in America.
"It's disappointing but not surprising that someone like Mr. Jeffries would make such offensive comparisons," said Rep. Donalds in an interview with Hannity host Sean Hannity.
The House Minority Leader has yet to release any statement addressing these criticisms or apologizing for his past words published more than two decades ago when he was a student at Binghamton University.
Critics argue that such rhetoric further deepens existing divides within American society by perpetuating stereotypes surrounding race and identity politics instead of fostering understanding amongst different groups working towards similar goals; equality and justice for all citizens regardless of skin color or cultural background