A Kentucky state representative has sparked outrage and ridicule after trying to rewrite the past during Black History Month by saying that her father—a white man born in the 1930s—was a slave.
Rep. Jennifer Decker attempted to redefine the meaning of American chattel slavery while claiming that diversity and equity programs are unnecessary because her father was able to rise up from his alleged humble beginnings.
On Feb. 1, Decker, a 68-year-old white woman, was invited to a meeting held by the Shelbyville chapter of the NAACP to discuss a state education bill she’s sponsoring that would prohibit DEI initiatives, The Courier Journal reported. Under the bill, training and scholarships dedicated to diversity would all be defunded.
In the process of her spiel to the NAACP, Decker, a Republican from 40 miles outside of Lexington, definitely incorporated a bit of revisionist history.
“My father was a slave, just to a white man and he was white,” Decker said when someone in the crowd asked about her family’s role in the slave trade.