Alabama Republican Party Chairman Bill Armistead wants Rep. Alvin Holmes, D-Montgomery, to “put up or shut up.”
During a debate in the Alabama House of Representatives about a pro-life bill, Holmes went to the mic and claimed that white pro-lifers in the Legislature would be in favor of aborting a child if their own daughters or granddaughters got pregnant by a black man.
“Ninety-nine percent of the all of the white people in here are going to raise their hand that they are against abortion,” Holmes said. “On the other hand, 99 percent of the whites who are sitting in here now, if their daughter got pregnant by a black man, they are going to make their daughter have an abortion.”
Holmes then offered $100,000 to anyone who could show him “a bunch of whites” who had adopted black babies in Alabama.
“I will bring you $100,000 cash tomorrow if you show me a whole bunch of whites that adopted blacks in Alabama,” Holmes declared. “I will go down there and mortgage my house and get it in cash in $20 bills and bring it to you in a little briefcase.”
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Armistead said today that Holmes has a long history of making racist remarks, and believes it is time for the Alabama Democratic Party to push him out.
“Alvin has played the race card one too many times and it is high time that the Alabama Democrat Party put a muzzle on him or ask him to resign from the House,” said Armistead. “He is an embarrassment to our state.”
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After Holmes’ remarks, a group of families who had adopted children of a different race launched a Facebook page called “Faces of Families in Alabama” to prove Holmes wrong about white families not adopting black babies in Alabama.
Mixed-race families from all over the state sent in pictures and almost 15,000 people have “liked” the page.
Faces of Families then held a rally on the steps of the Alabama State House to prove Holmes wrong once and for all. Multi-racial adoptive families from all across Alabama showed up, but Holmes declined an invitation to attend.
“I would like for him to man up,” one adoptive mother said at the rally. “He’s made the statement, he needs to put his money where his mouth is.”
Armistead agrees.
“Representative Holmes needs to step forward and live up to his comment by donating his promised $100,000 to one of these families who have adopted black children,” Armistead said. “If he has a problem deciding which family should get the $100,000, I suggest that he give it to an adoption agency such as Sav-A-Life of Montgomery Inc., which also offers pregnancy counseling services to young women.”
“Alvin is quick to call others racists, while proving time and time again that he is a racist himself,” Armistead continued. “Fortunately, the voters in Holmes’ House District 78 no longer have to tolerate a representative who is more interested in creating absurd headlines than helping his constituents. They will have a choice in November. Tijuanna Adetunji is the Republican candidate in District 78 who has respect for people of all races and will work for the betterment of her constituents and not for her own self-aggrandizement.”
A call to Rep. Holmes’ office was not immediately returned.
Follow Cliff on Twitter @Cliff_Sims
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