On the first day of Black History Month, Republicans in Onondaga County, New York, watered down an anti-racism resolution by removing the word "systemic."
The resolution, introduced by Onondaga County Legislator Linda Ervin, a Black Democrat, was intended to condemn the racist actions of local lawmakers' predecessors, who in 1795 assessed a property tax on Black men and women along with cattle and land, according to a report from Syracuse.com.
However, two Republican leaders in the Onondaga County Legislature — chairman Jim Rowley and majority leader Brian May — reportedly said "they did not receive a copy of the document directly from their colleagues and did not appreciate the sudden introduction of a topic that deserved some research."
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In addition to condemning the Legislature's past racist actions, the resolution was designed to "acknowledge that systemic discriminatory acts continue to marginalize and oppress individuals based on their race," according to Syracuse.com. But Rowley and May, who are both white men, reportedly were uncomfortable with the word "systemic."
"Calling out systemic racism in modern-day institutions calls out the 17 legislators, county government and really, everyone, May said," according to the report.
May added: “I’m not going to paint my community or my children or yours or his or anyone else’s with a broad brush when I don’t know them and I don’t know what they do. I just don’t think that’s fair.”
In addition to removing the word "systemic" from the resolution, Republican leaders struck "community" from the phrase “condemning racism in our history and community.”
Rowley accused Ervin, the author of the resolution, of missing "a good opportunity to celebrate the Black history of Onondaga County."
“Black History Month should be more of a celebration and not just a rejection of racist people that existed in 1795 – 66 years before the Civil War,” Rowley said.
One Republican legislator, Tim Burtis, left the room before the vote and returned immediately afterward.
“It was not a celebration. It was a ‘Let’s relive the history’,” Burtis said later of the resolution. “There’s a lot of positive things, especially here in Syracuse, about Black heroes. We live on the Underground Railroad. Pick one, Frederick Douglass.”
The resolution passed 16-0, but not before Democrats objected to the changes.
Charles Garland, who is the only other Black legislator aside from Ervin, the author of the resolution, said: “This memorandum was written by an African-American woman. The changes were modified by a white man. Basically, what this is is a repetition of this condescending pattern.”
