RI lawmaker uses racial slur on House floor in response to critic
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — After a tense debate on raising the minimum wage Thursday night, Representative Anastasia Williams of Providence addressed the chamber, responding to an apparent critic.
“What I’m not is a house slave or a house n*****,” she said. “And I say it clearly because someone who I respect had the audacity – while they have the right to call whomever they want what they want, I know who I am.”
Speaker Nicholas Mattiello apologized to Williams on behalf of the chamber.
“Even though I was nowhere near the incident when it occurred, nobody should be subjected to that,” he said.
The speaker also reminding legislators of the rule barring personal attacks.
Providence NAACP President James Vincent says the term “house slave” is insulting to African–Americans because it accuses someone of being a sellout.
“I can understand why Representative Williams would be upset,” he said, “but I don’t think that was the proper forum to express the anger.”
Vincent says hearing legislators say the “n–word” is upsetting.
“Under no circumstances is the N–word acceptable, by anybody,” he said. “That’s my position, I’ve been consistent with that, and that’s the position of the NAACP.”
He says he hopes an issue like this won’t come up at the State House again.
And Williams seemed to share that feeling on the House floor.
“You’d better believe it,” she said. “That will be the last time.”
Williams did not respond to our requests for comment.
© WLNE-TV / ABC6 2020
