July 15, 2010: Tea Party Spokesman Writes Inflammatory, Racist ‘Satirical’ Letter from ‘Coloreds’ to Lincoln Asking to Give Freedom Back

Conservative columnist and radio talk show host Mark Williams, the spokesman for the Tea Party Express, posts a fictitious letter on his blog purportedly written by “Colored People” to former President Abraham Lincoln. The post, which Williams quickly removes after it causes a massive outcry, reads: “We Colored People have taken a vote and decided that we don’t cotton to that whole emancipation thing. Freedom means having to work for real, think for ourselves, and take consequences along with the rewards. That is just far too much to ask of us Colored People and we demand that it stop! In fact we held a big meeting and took a vote in Kansas City this week [referring to the recent NAACP convention that condemned tea party racism—see July 13, 2010]. We voted to condemn a political revival of that old abolitionist spirit called the ‘tea party movement.’ The tea party position to ‘end the bailouts’ for example is just silly. Bailouts are just big money welfare and isn’t that what we want all Coloreds to strive for? What kind of racist would want to end big money welfare? What they need to do is start handing the bail outs directly to us coloreds! Of course, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is the only responsible party that should be granted the right to disperse the funds. And the ridiculous idea of ‘reduce[ing] the size and intrusiveness of government.’ What kind of massa would ever not want to control my life? As Coloreds we must have somebody care for us otherwise we would be on our own, have to think for ourselves, and make decisions! The racist tea parties also demand that the government ‘stop the out of control spending.’ Again, they directly target Colored People. That means we Colored People would have to compete for jobs like everybody else and that is just not right. Perhaps the most racist point of all in the tea parties is their demand that government ‘stop raising our taxes.’ That is outrageous! How will we Colored People ever get a wide screen TV in every room if non-coloreds get to keep what they earn? Totally racist! The tea party expects coloreds to be productive members of society? Mr. Lincoln, you were the greatest racist ever. We had a great gig. Three squares, room, and board, all our decisions made by the massa in the house. Please repeal the 13th and 14th Amendments and let us get back to where we belong.” Williams signs the post “Precious Ben Jealous, Tom’s Nephew National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Head Colored Person,” referring to NAACP president Benjamin Jealous. Williams also labels the NAACP “racist” because the 101-year-old organization continues to use the old-fashioned term “colored” in its name. Williams’s post is quickly denounced as inflammatory and blatantly racist; though Williams calls it “satire” and removes it, he is soon expelled from the National Tea Party Federation for the post (see July 17-18, 2010). [Gawker, 7/16/2010; CNN, 7/18/2010; Huffington Post, 7/18/2010] In the past, Williams has called President Obama the “racist in chief” (see September 14, 2009) and “our half white, racist president” (see September 2009). He has called Muslims “animals” who worship a “monkey god” (see May 14, 2010), and labeled the NAACP “racists” who are like “slave trader[s]” (see July 14, 2010).