After two days of getting reamed for suggesting that black kids were somehow better off under slavery because they grew up in two-parent families, last night the Family Leader backed off from that statement in the "Marriage Vow" signed by Michele Bachmann. Well, sort of.
"Slavery had a disastrous impact on African-American families, yet sadly a child born into slavery in 1860 was more likely to be raised by his mother and father in a two-parent household than was an African-American baby born after the election of the USA's first African-American President," read the preamble.
But this evening, amid growing questions aimed at Bachmann, Family Leader officials said they'd removed the slavery language from the preamble.
“After careful deliberation and wise insight and input from valued colleagues we deeply respect, we agree that the statement referencing children born into slavery can be misconstrued, and such misconstruction can detract from the core message of the Marriage Vow: that ALL of us must work to strengthen and support families and marriages between one woman and one man," the group's officials said in a statement.
A "misconstruction"? A "misconstruction"? You suggest that even as blacks grew up without freedom or human dignity, they at least had two parents--and you call that just a "misconstruction"? Sorry, but as a black myself, I find this "apology" almost as insulting as the original statement. I'd like to know where Bob Vander Plaats shops regularly back in Des Moines, because I don't think there's a store there that sells cojones that big.
For the better part of the last two decades, the religious right has tried to woo blacks away from the Democrats by appealing to the streak of social conservatism present in much of the black community. With garbage like this, is it any wonder that it hasn't worked that well?
I'm not surprised that even when wingers do the right thing, they can't do it right. But quite frankly, this takes the cake. Let's pester the Family Leader and tell them to make a real apology. Here's their contact information:
Telephone: (515) 263-3495
Toll free: (877) 866-4372
Email: grassroots at ifpc dot org
Or use this contact form.