Ark. GOPer: Slavery a "blessing in disguise" for black people

Jon Hubbard says slavery may have been a good thing

Published October 7, 2012 3:08PM (EDT)

 State Rep. Jon Hubbard, R-Ark.     (ArkansasHouse.org)
State Rep. Jon Hubbard, R-Ark. (ArkansasHouse.org)

Arkansas lawmaker Jon Hubbard has a new book out, called "Letters to the Editor: Confessions of a Frustrated Conservative," in which he writes some jaw-droppingly racist things about black people.

The Arkansas Times reports that in one excerpt, Hubbard writes of slavery:

“… the institution of slavery that the black race has long believed to be an abomination upon its people may actually have been a blessing in disguise. The blacks who could endure those conditions and circumstances would someday be rewarded with citizenship in the greatest nation ever established upon the face of the Earth.”

In another excerpt, Hubbard asks: “Wouldn’t life for blacks in America today be more enjoyable and successful if they would only learn to appreciate the value of a good education?”

More on education:

“… one of the stated purposes of school integration was to bring black students up to a level close to that of white students. But, to the great disappointment of everyone, the results of this theory worked exactly in reverse of its intended purpose, and instead of black students rising to the educational levels previously attained by white students, the white students dropped to the level of black students. To make matters worse the lack of discipline and ambition of black students soon became shared by their white classmates, and our educational system has been in a steady decline ever since.”


By Jillian Rayfield

Jillian Rayfield is an Assistant News Editor for Salon, focusing on politics. Follow her on Twitter at @jillrayfield or email her at jrayfield@salon.com.

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African Americans Arkansas Jon Hubbard Racism Slavery