Lost Video Rant By State Representative-Elect London Lamar Saying ‘Tennessee Is Racist’ Retrieved

A livestreamed video showing newly-elected State Rep. London Lamar (D-Memphis) complaining Tennessee is full of racists and uneducated white people got removed from Lamar’s Facebook page Friday.

But The Tennessee Star has a copy, which readers may find here:

 

The video was apparently originally published Wednesday morning, and includes Lamar’s analysis of the midterm election results.

“Looking here at Tennessee, let’s just call a spade a spade,” Lamar said in the video, beginning at the 2:01 mark.

“Tennessee is racist, period. Period. And if you for one moment thought that white people in Tennessee were going to leave their own to jump over here and give us more access, they just told you last night it’s not happening,” Lamar continued.

“If we look at some of the numbers last night, white men voted Republican well over 60 or 70 percent,” the newly elected Democrat State Representative from Memphis added.

“Obviously, that is a particular base of people who believe in superiority. They don’t believe in sharing their wealth. They don’t believe in sharing resources. They believe that you need to work for your own, and they went to the polls and voted,” Lamar added.

Later in the video, at the 5:10 mark, Lamar said “most of the people in Tennessee who voted Republican are uneducated.”

“I also think we need to stop acting like we’re in post-racial America, people,” she added at the 6:10 mark of the video.

“We are not. Tennessee is racist. Like these people–I don’t want to say these white people– in Tennessee, have voted against you. And not just a little bit, but a lot of bit. So I think you all need to realize that, who’s your real enemy here?” she asked.

“I think that, as an African-American community, and this is what I’ve been preaching, we need to come up with a policy platform, a concise policy platform that we’re going to push because, right now, this is no different than 1968. The only difference is they can’t necessarily, like, hang us by a noose or outwardly kick us out of restaurants or things like that, but they are still exercising their right to vote and they are still supporting candidates who openly express they will suppress our community,” Lamar continued. (emphasis added)

Whoever removed the video from Lamar’s Facebook page, originally published on Wednesday, did so only hours after The Star published a story about the video and linked to it in a story published shortly after midnight Thursday/Friday. But early Friday morning readers were unable to see it.

Many people from Tennessee and other states shared the story on Facebook and Twitter Friday.

As reported, on the video, Lamar, among other things, reprimanded white men for wanting to keep more of the money they earn. She also suggested allowing felons to vote will help elect more Democrats.

Many Tennesseans on social media condemned Lamar’s rhetoric, although others defended her.

On Twitter, Bob Boutiette (BoutietteBob) tagged Lamar and told her to open her mind to other perspectives.

Hey London Lamar, ever think we vote conservative because your socialistic views suck and don’t work. You obviously are ignorant to how all people prosper. Get over your racist self. Good luck Memphis. #LondonLamar

— Bob Boutiette (@BoutietteBob) November 9, 2018

“Hey London Lamar, ever think we vote conservative because your socialistic views suck and don’t work. You obviously are ignorant to how all people prosper. Get over your racist self. Good luck Memphis. #LondonLamar”

Meanwhile, Jerry Woods (JerryWoods8491) also weighed in.

This poor child has been indoctrinated by public schools or perhaps Steve Cohen’s chaos politics! She will be an obstructionist in our state legislature. She needs to be recalled or replaced in next election. Praying she is not placed on many… https://t.co/C6Sj72PIDe

— Jerry Woods (@JerryWoods8491) November 9, 2018

“This poor child has been indoctrinated by public schools or perhaps Steve Cohen’s chaos politics! She will be an obstructionist in our state legislature. She needs to be recalled or replaced in next election. Praying she is not placed on many.”

But some people defended Lamar’s rhetoric, including Jeff Woods (FakeJeffWoods).

New state representative speaks the obvious truth and wingnuts go crazy. As andrew gillum says, “a hit dog will holler” https://t.co/z1LhRa3ZQ1 via @TheTNStar

— Jeff woods (@Fakejeffwoods) November 9, 2018

“New state representative speaks the obvious truth and wingnuts go crazy. As andrew gillum says, ‘a hit dog will holler,’” Woods wrote.

On the Facebook page Wake Up Memphis, where a group member shared The Star’s story, Nehemiah Webb said in the comments section that “black people can’t be racist.”

“You have to be in a position of power to be racist it’s a sense of superiority and making others feel inferior and that’s not black people, no being prejudiced is another thing all together,” Webb wrote.

As of Friday afternoon, Lamar did not address the controversy on either her Facebook or Twitter pages.

On the video, Lamar also castigated white Republican men for not sharing their wealth and asked her followers to think about whether white people, particularly “right-wing crazies,” are their enemy.

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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].