White Legislator Charges Black Caucus With Racial Discrimination
by Jim Brown and Jenni Parker
October 14, 2005
(AgapePress) - A white lawmaker in Tennessee has been barred from becoming a member of the state's Black Caucus. State representative Stacey Campfield says he attempted to join the black political group in order to better serve the large minority constituency in his precinct. However, the Knoxville Republican says a leader of the Black Caucus told him that, because he is not black, he could not become a full member or even obtain a copy of the group's bylaws without a court order or an attorney general's opinion. Campfield says he was taken aback by this rebuff by the Black Caucus. "I couldn't believe they did that," he notes. "I mean, we're always striving for equality, and if you look at Martin Luther King and the things that he stood for, it wasn't for separate but equal; it was for unity -- the unity of all races."
King's vision, the Tennessee conservative contends, "was for black people and white people to be able to, more or less, sit down at the table of unity. And I have always believed that and always felt that we are always stronger together than we are divided."
Members of the Black Caucus have labeled Campfield a racist white separatist, but he dismisses those accusations by pointing out that it is the Caucus that is engaging in racial separatism. "I was never a big believer in separate but equal," he argues. "I don't think it worked in the 1960s and I don't think it works now. I think we need to go with full, equal membership. If we're going to have equality, let's have equality across the board."
Campfield feels the Black Caucus membership policies are racist and has been vocal and controversial in his public criticism of what he sees as the group's discriminatory practices. Some of the lawmaker's remarks have cost him points among the state's black community and black political leadership. Recently, the state chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) joined the Nashville chapter in calling on the state Republican leadership to publicly censure Campfield for remarks he made comparing the Caucus to the Ku Klux Klan.
Knoxville's WATE News reports that Black Caucus chairman, Rep. Johnny Shaw (D-Bolivar), has said he would consider letting Campfield in to the caucus as an honorary member, subject to the vote of the full group. However, Shaw feels it would be appropriate for Campfield to apologize in person to the Caucus.
And, according to WATE News, State Representative Joe Armstrong (D-Knoxville), who has been a member of the Black Caucus for nine terms, agrees that the outspoken Campfield needs to have been more careful in his choice of words. The Tennessee Democrat says he was not even aware of Campfield's interest in joining the Caucus until the controversy came up in the media.
Now that the news is out about Campfield's request, however, Armstrong says, "People from all across the county are hearing about a legislator from Knoxville using comparisons of the KKK and a legislative body. That is just unpardonable."
