WASHINGTON (AP) – A Republican lawmaker questioned on the Senate floor if “the colored population” is contracting coronavirus at disproportionate rates because they do not wash their hands “as well as other groups.”
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The American Civil Liberties Union called for GOP Sen. Steve Huffman to step down from office Thursday following his comments that were made during a hearing for a resolution to declare racism a public health crisis.
Huffman, who is also a Dayton-area emergency room physician, caused controversy after he questioned Angela Dawson, executive director of the Ohio Commission of Minority Health, on Tuesday over why the COVID-19 rates for black Ohioans were higher than other populations.
“Could it just be that African Americans – or the colored population — do not wash their hands as well as other groups? Or wear masks? Or do not socially distance themselves?” Huffman asked during Senate testimony. “Could that just be the explanation of why there’s a higher incidence?”
WATCH: Here was the moment when Ohio Sen. Steve Huffman asked if the "colored population" has a higher rate of COVID-19 because they don't wash their hands as much. pic.twitter.com/o8AiMg1q30
— Tyler Buchanan (@Tylerjoelb) June 11, 2020
Dawson, who is black, responded, “That is not the opinion of leading medical experts in this country.”
Dawson was among a number of people testifying in support for the resolution that would establish a variety of resources to address racism in the state.
Shibani Chettri, an epidemiology PhD student and researcher at Ohio State University, also testified Tuesday as a proponent for the resolution and said witnessing Huffman’s comments was “egregious.”
“This really brings attention to how we need to do a better job of addressing pervasive racism in health care if a sitting senator and medical professional can ask these sort of patronizing and racist questions,” Chettri said in an interview.
In a statement, the 55-year-old Huffman said he regretted how his question was perceived.
“I asked a question in an unintentionally awkward way that was perceived as hurtful and was exactly the opposite of what I meant,” the senator said. “I was trying to focus on why COVID-19 affects people of color at a higher rate since we really do not know all the reasons.”
Democratic Rep. Stephanie Howse, president of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus, noted that the word “colored” has a offensive history of being associated with segregation and Jim Crow laws.
“When we talk about the internalized racism that is deeply ingrained in our institutions and the obstacles Black Americans face in ever achieving meaningful change, this is exactly what we are talking about,” Rep. Howse said.
Howse noted the resolution to declare racism an issue of public health in Ohio is trying to address and resolve comments like Huffman’s.
As a result of Tuesday’s hearing, Howse and the Legislative Black Caucus called for legislators of both chambers to immediately take racial equity and implicit bias training.
The ACLU of Ohio took it one step further and called for Huffman’s resignation on Thursday morning.
“His explicitly racist comment, which invoked deeply troubling sentiments and imagery, is reprehensible, and any Ohio lawmaker who holds such abhorrent views must be held accountable,” the organization said in a press release.
This nitwit has been fired from his ER job; the word “colored” went out in the early 1960’s, along with the word “Negro”.
Hypocritical ACLU fights for every kind of free speech except if they’re against it.
To our great chagrin , they’re infested with liberal Jews who are part of our country’s problem.
So no one is ever allowed to answer an accusation made by a black? There was a question answer discussion. The blacks and Andrew Cuomo are asking why more blacks are being affected by the Coronavirus than whites. So what is the reason? That’s what the panel was trying to answer in a medical way? What is racist about that? Are they suggesting that it’s some sort of conspiracy that whites are out to kill blacks? The Senator, who is a medical professional, was giving an honeat answer. This complaint against him is so absurd. Vote for Joe Biden and things like this will be the norm. All whites will have to go thru reeducation camps.
Poor word choice, reasonable questions
I would wash my hands from this bozo!
Educated Archy March 2, 2020 11:06 am at 11:06 am
I say that too. And guess what you wull say that as well. When you eat that matza pesach no corana will be around.
Call me a nitwit. I did not know the term was considered offensive. It is hard to keep up, Colored is offensive, Black is now OK and the N word is OK, but only when used in a discussion between two people of color.
What’s with the omissions, he is a state senator in ohio, but you seem to be trying to mislead and make people think he is a US senator.
With every news outlet blaming trump for minority’s increased corona illness. It’s really a question that needs to be asked why where they do heavily hit
There are diseases that are more common in the black community such as “Sickle Cell Anemia” which isn’t found in the white community. Maybe the same thing that makes them susceptible to Sickle Cell is what causes them to be more susceptible to Corona.
Antifa and other white anarchist trash are the majoriry of protesters using blacks just as DemoRats do.
This now has nothing to do with Floyd.
It’s an opportunity to destroy the country. In fact , in many cities , the police are minority protecting mostly minority residents.
Black commenters now speaking out about this.
Blacks being exploited by radicals.