‘Cotton picking’: US lawmaker condemned for racist comment about Jeffries

The office of Hakeem Jeffries , the top-ranking Democrat in the United States House of Representatives, has released a fiery statement condemning a fellow lawmaker who endorsed a racist comment about him. Tuesday’s statement came a day after US Representative Jen Kiggans appeared on a conservative radio talk show, where she discussed the ongoing battle over redistricting in the state. Recommended Stories list of 3 items end of list During the show, host Rich Herrera criticised Jeffries, who is from New York, for his support of an effort to redraw Virginia’s congressional map. Herrera said Jeffries should either relocate to Virginia and run for public office, or “get your cotton-picking hands off of Virginia”. “That’s right. Ditto,” Kiggans, a Republican, responded. “Yes. Yes to that.” The term “cotton picking” is typically seen to have racist roots in the US, where enslaved Black people were used as labour on southern cotton plantations until the mid-19th century. Kiggans later denied approving of Herrera’s statement. She argued that she was instead agreeing with the broad sentiment about Democrats’ efforts in state redistricting. “The radio host should not have used that language and I do not — and did not — condone it,” she said. “It was obvious to anyone listening that I was agreeing Hakeem Jefferies should stay out of Virginia.” Still, a Jeffries spokesperson, Christie Stephenson, vehemently condemned Kiggans on Tuesday. …