Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson referred to American slaves as immigrants Monday afternoon, and the reaction to his poor choice of words has been about what you’d expect.
Carson delivered an address this week to department employees. During his speech, the HUD chief touched briefly on the issue of slavery and immigration.
“That’s what America is about, a land of dreams and opportunity,” Carson said. “There were other immigrants who came here in the bottom of slave ships, worked even longer, even harder for less. But they too had a dream that one day their sons, daughters, grandsons, granddaughters, great-grandsons, great-granddaughters, might pursue prosperity and happiness in this land.”
“And do you know of all the nations in the world, this one, the United States of America, is the only one big enough and great enough to allow all those people to realize their dream. And this is our opportunity to enhance that dream,” he added.
Calling slaves “immigrants,” and saying they worked “for less,” is a charitable way of putting it. It’s so charitable, in fact, that it leaves one scratching one’s head.
However, rather than responding to Carson’s remarks with a deep sigh or even a question, many reporters, pundits, politicos and political activists have reacted with outrage, which has become the default response to stupidly worded remarks from Trump administration officials
Chelsea Clinton, for example, got in on the mix Monday afternoon, tweeting her disapproval for Carson’s comments.
“This can’t be real. Slaves were not & are not immigrants,” Chelsea Clinton said on Twitter.
This can’t be real. Slaves were not & are not immigrants. 2017. https://t.co/8CuUvnR2Mf
— Chelsea Clinton (@ChelseaClinton) March 6, 2017
She then added in a reminder to either herself or her followers that the year is indeed 2017.
The Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect, which has its headquarters in New York, went beyond the normal angry response by releasing a scolding statement noting the color of Carson’s skin.
“This is as offensive a remarks as it gets,” the group’s executive director, Steven Goldstein, said in a statement titled, “TRAGIC, SHOCKING AND UNACCEPTABLE.”
The group has won a lot of kudos from reporters and pundits recently for being a vocal critic of the Trump administration, particularly the president’s executive order temporarily banning immigration from six countries.
“No, Secretary Carson, slaves didn’t immigrate to America. There were brought here violently, against their own will, and lived here without freedom. You do not get a pass because you’re an African-American, any more than President Trump gets a pass for his delayed and sometimes nonexistent responses to [anti-Semitism] because he has Jewish relatives. Wrong is wrong, Secretary Carson. We condemn your statement and suggest you try this one instead: #BlackLivesMatter,” Goldstein added.
Carson, who is black, responded Monday evening to the reaction to his HUD remarks, and sought in a Facebook post to clarify his meaning.
“I’m proud of the courage and perseverance of Black Americans and their incomprehensible struggle from slavery to freedom. I’m proud that our ancestors overcame the evil and repression that we know as slavery,” he said.
Carson added, “The slave narrative and immigrant narrative are two entirely different experiences. Slaves were ripped from their families and their homes and forced against their will after being sold into slavery by slave traders.”
He continued, noting that there are many differences between slaves and immigrants, including that the former is brought against his will while the latter travels voluntarily.
“The two experiences should never be intertwined, nor forgotten, as we demand the necessary progress towards an America that’s inclusive and provides access to equal opportunity for all,” Carson’s Monday evening statement said.
“We should revel in the fact that although we got here through different routes, we have many things in common now that should unite us in our mission to have a land where there is liberty and justice for all,” he added.
Slavery is indeed a stain on this country’s history. One wonders if the U.S. will ever really be free from its shame.
In the meantime, thank goodness people like Chelsea Clinton and Steven Goldstein are brave enough to lecture African-Americans on the true meaning of their former bondage.
