Florida Democratic National Committee member John Parker is being pressured by members of the Florida Black Caucus, and even his own wife, to resign after referring to African-Americans as “colored people,” according to multiple reports.
Parker, the state committeeman for Duval County, told Politico that he meant to use the phrase “people of color” and misspoke when he said “colored people.” The committeeman reportedly made the remarks at a Jan. 22 meeting in Jacksonville, and later apologized for his word choice.
State Rep. Kim Daniels, a black Democrat from Jacksonville, called on Parker and his wife, Lisa King, who is the chairwoman of the Duval County Democratic Executive Committee, to resign, according to Politico. The chairman of the Republican party in Duval County, Karyn Morton, echoed Daniels calls for the couple to resign from their positions.
“I don’t think we need this in politics, regardless of party, here in Duval County,” Morton told First Coast News. “We need people who care about each other, both Republican and Democrat.”
Following the demands, King released a statement calling for her husband to resign.
“Though it is painful and awkward to air this conflict publicly, I have told John from the beginning that the most appropriate course of action for him was to resign,” King said in a statements to First Coast News. “Although we disagree on this action, our members are committed to respecting the process to resolve this issue.”
Diallo-Sekou Seabrooks, a black candidate for city council, overheard the comment and told First Coast News that Parker “freely used” the phrase “colored people” during a conversations about the impact the black community could potentially have on Jacksonville.
The Duval County Democratic Black Caucus told the news outlet that they haven’t yet received a response to their grievance, which was filed last month with the state party.
