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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State Rep. Ronald
G. Waters |
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Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus condemns racial prank at Wal-Mart
HARRISBURG, March 19 -- Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus Chairman Ronald G. Waters, D-Delaware/Phila., said he deplores a racial prank played recently at a Wal-Mart store in New Jersey.
Waters said an employee made an announcement over the public address system of a Wal-Mart store in Washington Township, New Jersey, that reportedly said: "Attention Wal-Mart customers: all black people, leave the store now." He said the remark came as a shock to customers in the store and to the public in general when it was reported. Managers at the store apologized to customers as soon the remark was made, but Waters said he believes it is important for the matter to be further addressed to understand why it happened and what it indicates about American society.
"Given that companies such as Wal-Mart have security cameras to monitor and protect their stores, workers and patrons, surely they are able to investigate this incident and determine the guilty party who made the offensive announcement," Waters said.
Waters also said he is concerned about the incident because it happened in southern New Jersey, which is very close to his legislative district in Pennsylvania. "If this can happen in one of our neighboring states, this can certainly happen in Pennsylvania," he said. "Let’s set the record straight: We’re here and we’re not going anywhere. Nobody is going to tell us to leave. Wherever we are, we will leave and stay under our terms, so get over it. Our money is the same color as anybody else’s."
Waters said retailers need to recognize the economic power of African-Americans. "Black consumers in the nation have buying power close to $1 trillion, and they spend $33 billion in Pennsylvania alone," he said.
Waters said the PLBC will present a united front against racist acts and pranks that treat minorities as second-class citizens. He said that while many people see the Obama presidency as evidence of how far society has come, incidents like the one at Wal-Mart and elsewhere make it clear that society still has a long way to go.
"It’s sad and amazing that even after the election of our first African-American president -- President Obama -- some people still refuse to move forward," he said. "The latest case in point is the recent Fox News interview with the president, where the interviewer constantly interrupted the president. This clearly demonstrates that the office of the presidency – when held by a black man -- is not held in high regard. How do we expect the rest of the world to accept what he represents if we haven’t accepted it ourselves? Obama is the duly-elected president of the United States," Waters said. "His ability to lead and deliver is important. If he is going to speak on behalf of all of us domestically and internationally, the world needs to know that we respect our president."
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