Jun 01, 2023

Kansas Republicans admonish Black lawmaker

Posted Jun 01, 2023 7:30 PM
 Rep. Ford Carr says Republican legislative leaders issued a "baseless" warning to him in an attempt to silence his voice. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)
Rep. Ford Carr says Republican legislative leaders issued a "baseless" warning to him in an attempt to silence his voice. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)

Wichita Democrat Ford Carr says letter of warning is ‘futile attempt’ to silence him

By RACHEL MIPRO
Kansas Reflector

TOPEKA — Republican legislative leaders warned a Black Democrat against indecorous behavior weeks after he made a speech that called out vote trading, while couching his argument in slavery terms.

In response, the Democrat said his job was to advocate for Black Kansans, not protect his colleagues’ feelings.

Rep. Ford Carr, a Wichita Democrat, delivered the fiery speech in late April at the end of an increasingly tense legislative session, following the release of a last-minute funding proposal for the Quindaro Ruins Archaeological Park in Kansas City. The historical site was an important stop on the Underground Railroad, but some, including Carr, questioned the timing of the $250,000 Quindaro allocation.

“What happened different this time around that now allowed for funding to be available for that particular project? Then it was brought to my attention that it may have been in exchange for a number of votes,” Carr said in his April 28 House floor speech.

The funding for Quindaro came after one of the site’s top supporters, Kansas City Democrat Rep. Marvin Robinson, broke party lines to vote with Republicans on several key issues. Robinson’s vote was the deciding factor in overriding Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of a transgender athlete ban for K-12 schools and colleges, turning the legislation into law. Kelly later vetoed the Quindaro funding, asking lawmakers to bring the proposal through proper channels next year.

“I would never trade my vote so that those people in my neighborhood, my constituents that I support, would never have the opportunity to look at me and think that I might be one of those house negroes,” Carr said, distinguishing between slaves who worked in the field and those who worked inside.

Carr was warned to watch his words several times by Republican leadership during his speech, but was allowed to continue talking.

Leadership decided further action was needed after the close of the session. In a May 26 letter to Carr from House Speaker Dan Hawkins and House Speaker Pro Tempore Blake Carpenter, the two warned Carr that his comments were “not in conformity with House rules on order and decorum.”

“Your conduct failed to maintain proper decorum. This letter shall serve as notice that if you use disorderly words during debate in the House in future proceedings, a complaint may be filed against you,” the letter read, citing a legislative procedure manual that stipulates lawmakers cannot attack the motives of their peers.

In a Tuesday response, Carr called the letter a “futile attempt” to silence his voice and said he would continue to speak for Black Kansans.

“This baseless letter is nothing more than the icing on the cake of a Republican led legislature that has failed to entertain any legislation this session that is beneficial to primarily black people,” Carr wrote.

“There are members of this Legislative Body who have difficulty accepting a black member of the legislature that will speak his/her mind,” Carr added in the letter. “This is not the first time that attempts were made to silence a Black Representative in the Kansas Legislature.”

In 2015, Republicans filed a complaint against Rep. Valdenia Winn, a Kansas City Democrat, after she reffered to proposed legislation as racist and sexist. She also said the bill’s supporters were “racist bigots.” The complaint was dismissed.

The House has had several clashes over racism in the past few months, with one white lawmaker saying the House was too “compassionate and loving” to be racist in debate over a bill that strengthened penalties for fleeing from police.

Carr said he wasn’t afraid to speak about subject matters that the majority-white body might find uncomfortable.

“It is not my job to protect your feelings,” Carr wrote. “It is my job to serve my people!”