Local NAACP chapter reacts to Rep. Butts’ comments
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JACKSON, Tenn. — The Tennessee Legislative Black Caucus wants a republican state lawmaker accused of a racist Facebook post stripped of her leadership position. Rep. Sheila Butts’ post said, “It is time for a council on Christian relations and an NAAWP in this country.” She was commenting on a Jan. 26 open letter from the Council on American-Islamic Relations urging potential republican presidential candidates to reject “Islamophobia” and reach out to American Muslim voters. Some civil rights leaders say it is an apparent racist twist to the name of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, or NAACP. “Until we as parents and as individuals living in communities begin to learn how to treat one another with equality and with respect that is due, we will always get this type of reaction,” said Harrell Carter, president of the Jackson-Madison County Branch of the NAACP. The Tennessee Black Caucus said Thursday it wants an apology from Butts but would ultimately like to see her removed as house GOP floor leader. Butts says her post was misinterpreted. The Tennessee representative told the Associated Press that “NAAWP” stands for the “National Association of Advancement for Western Peoples.”
