Calls for more and more Maryland legislators to resign



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Maryland's political leaders and civil rights groups on Wednesday increasingly called for the resignation of a legislator from the Democratic State after she used a racial insult at the University of Maryland. African-Americans at a meeting after normal working hours.

The presidents of the Maryland Democratic Party and the Maryland Republican Party, along with Governor Larry Hogan and the Maryland Legislative Black Caucus, asked delegate Mary Ann Lisanti to resign a day after making a public apology for holding these meetings. Last month refers to Prince George County, which is black majority.

"African-Americans make up about one-third of the voters in Lisanti District and they deserve to be represented by a caring, advocate, respectful and grateful to the diversity of the population and dedicated to the development of the community. an inclusive economy. " and democracy, "said Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, president of the Democratic Party of Maryland.

Hogan, a Republican, tweeted that "the language of racism and hatred does not belong in our public discourse". Dirk Haire, president of the Maryland Republican Party, called for his immediate resignation.

"Any public official who engages in this reprehensible behavior must do the right thing and resign," Hogan wrote.

Lisanti, 51, apologized to lawmakers and issued a statement Tuesday, saying she was "disgusted". She used that word several weeks ago. She also said that she had agreed to participate in awareness training.

"I am sorry for the harm I have done and will do everything in my power to help remedy this pain and regain the trust of my colleagues and constituents," said Lisanti.

The black legislative caucus said the excuses were inadequate and called for his resignation Wednesday.

"It is clear that you are not qualified to continue to sit at the Maryland General Assembly," wrote to the caucus chairman Del. Darryl Barnes. "The use of a term with racist overtones is unacceptable and will not be tolerated."

House Speaker Michael Busch dismissed Lisanti from his chairmanship of a legislative subcommittee on Tuesday.

The Washington Post was the first to report Monday that Lisanti would have used this insult last month. She told the newspaper that she did not remember having used the word on this occasion. When asked if she had ever used this insult, the Post stated to have stated, "I'm sure to have it … I'm sure everyone used it." "

Dana Shelley, executive director of the American Civil Liberties of Maryland, also called for Lisanti's resignation, saying she "should never accept blatant racism from anyone, let alone from our elected leaders" .

The Council for American-Islamic Relations, the country's largest civil rights and human rights organization, also condemned this racist insult and called on Lisanti to resign.

Other Democrats who asked Lisanti to resign included US Senator Chris Van Hollen and US Representative Anthony Brown, whose district includes parts of Prince George County.

"By 2019, we should not have to explain the seriousness with which we use this epithet," said Brown, the former state lieutenant-governor, in a statement released Wednesday. "This obnoxious word has been and is still used with cunning in order to dehumanize black Americans."

Indignation against the delegate's comment is occurring while the government of the neighboring state, Virginia, was involved in a scandal after Governor Ralph Northam and Attorney General Mark Herring, the two Democrats, acknowledged that they were blackface in the 1980s. They resisted calls for resignation.

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