The fallout continues
Good to see the civil rights leaders and clergy of Michigan getting involved with decrying the racist ad put out on Sunday by Pete Hoekstra. The Rev. Charles Williams II and a coalition of clergy members are asking Hoekstra campaign contributor Quicken Loans to denounce the commercial and ask Hoekstra to pull it. Here’s their press release:
Rev Charles Williams II, and coalition of clergy call on Quicken Loans contributor to the Pete Hoekstra campaign to denounce commercial and urge the campaign to end it immediately.Detroit – 2/7/12 – Republican candidate for U.S Senate Pete Hoekstra endorsed and appeared in a new campaign commercial launched during the Super Bowl Sunday night. The add featured a young woman speaking in broken English in a rice field the both reported by eclectablog.com & dailykos.com.
Rev. Charles Williams II and a coalition of clergy joined together yesterday to denounce and call for an apology from Pete Hoekstra regarding his commercial meant to target Stabenow. However, the commercial incensed many Asian Americans, republican and democrats and also many other minority communities. Pete Hoekstra refused to apologize or pull down the commercial.
Rev. Charles Williams II said “if Pete Hoekstra refuses to apologize to the insensitive and racist nature of this commercial, maybe the corporations that donated money to him, will apologize for him and urge him to to end the commercial immediately.”
The coalition of pastors are sending letters to the different corporations asking them to urge that their dollars are spent on educating the public about who their candidate is, rather than the racist commercials against folks of Asian descent.
Rev. Maurice L. Rudds said, “the politics of racial division is alive and well in Hoekstra’s campaign. What’s next? A commercial mocking African American hip hoppers.”
The coalition of leaders are calling on a formal apology from Pete Hoekstra and his major corporate contributors. The coalition is also urging him to pull down the add immediately.
Rev. Charles Williams is the pastor of the Historic King Solomon Baptist church, and state director of Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network. Rev. Maurice L. Rudds is the pastor of Greater Mt. Tabor Baptist church, and president of National Council for Community Empowerment, Michigan Chapter.
For more information contact 313-303-8002
Thehistoricksmbc@gmail.
There are also petitions at Change.org demanding that Hoekstra pull his ad and apologize.
[Photo credit of Rev. Williams: Chris Savage/Eclectablog]
