A portion of the Democratic House leader’s electorate has expressed strong disapproval due to the conflict Israel initiated against Hamas subsequent to the terrorist group’s unanticipated assault on the Jewish state earlier this month.
A 1992 campus newspaper opinion article entitled “The Black Conservative Phenomenon” was authored by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries during his time at Binghamton University in rural New York. Jeffries’s article is criticized by some for its alleged discriminatory undertones and its defense of anti-Semites.
CNN made the discovery of the “previously unreported college editorial” in April. As per the article, Jeffries’ claims that he had “a vague recollection” of a controversy involving his uncle are refuted.
Western Journal pointed out:
Jeffries was an executive board member of Binghamton’s Black Student Union, which had invited his uncle, City College of New York black studies professor Leonard Jeffries, to speak on campus. The elder Jeffires eventually got canned from his job for anti-Semitic remarks, according to CNN.
In the editorial, Jeffries defended both his uncle and Louis Farrakhan, the Nation of Islam leader who made a career out of bashing Jews.
“Do you think that a ruling elite would promote individuals who would seek to dismantle their vice-like grip on power?” the youthful Jeffries wrote, lamenting attacks on them by the “white media” and “white power structure.”
“Dr. Leonard Jeffries and Minister Louis Farrakhan have come under intense fire,” he added. “Where do you think their interests lie? Dr. Jeffries has challenged the existing white supremacist educational system and long standing distortion of history. His reward has been a media lynching complete with character assassinations and inflammatory erroneous accusations.”
Additionally, he called conservative black people “House Negroes.”
“During the period of African enslavement, our ancestors were given the duality of the Field Negro and the House Negro,” he wrote. “The Field Negro labored from dawn ‘till dusk, had nothing but contempt for his white master, and most importantly, the majority of Black slaves, who were Field Negroes. In contemporary terms, what we would refer to as ‘the masses.’
“The House Negroes didn’t labor in the field, they were domestic servants. The House Negro was dressed up and was led to believe that he or she was better than those in the field. Most importantly, the House Negro sought to emulate the white master. This emulation was not designed with the interests of the masses at heart. Rather, the motivating force was personal gain,” he wrote.
Jeffries has endeavored to distance himself from his previous public stances since entering politics, especially as a lawmaker from New York City, where a sizeable Jewish community continues to vote Democratic for unknown reasons.
“Jeffries has said he had only a ‘vague recollection’ of the controversy, saying he couldn’t even recall coverage of it in the local press,” CNN reported.
Meanwhile, Jeffries’ spokesperson Christiana Stephenson told CNN that he has a history of “bringing communities together.” “Has consistently been clear that he does not share the controversial views espoused by his uncle over thirty years ago,” the congressman continued.
In the past, Farrakhan, the leader of the Nation of Islam, described Judaism as a “gutter religion” and lauded Adolf Hitler as “a great man.”
Earlier this month, a Hamas attack resulted in the deaths of more than 1,400 Israelis and the abduction of hundreds more. In response to Israel’s subsequent declaration of war and military response, anti-Israeli sentiment and demonstrations have been observed on a number of prestigious American college and university campuses, with many attributing the disturbance to the Israelis.
Many Jewish students attending these institutions have voiced concerns regarding their personal security due to incidents of harassment and assault.