Unlikely Endorsements | Jackson Free Press | Jackson, MS

Unlikely Endorsements

The weekly African American newspaper The Jackson Advocate endorsed avowed white racist Jim Giles as representative of House District 62 in its Nov. 1-7 edition.

The very first paragraph of Giles' biography on his Web site, rebelarmy.com, describes Giles as the proud owner of white ancestry.

"Jimmy Darrell Giles was born in the Baptist Hospital in Jackson, Mississippi on March 12, 1959. Both his parents were White, James Stanton Giles and Margaret Rose Hutchins as were both sets of his grandparents," the bio proudly states.

Click on the individual stars of the confederate flag to read Giles' take on the nation's energy policy, the War in Iraq, immigration and to donate.

A hard-core separatist, Giles founded Southern Initiative in 1994 "to promote pride in Southern heritage." The Web site publishes a pro-white newsletter, Counterattack.

Jackson Advocate contributing editor Ernest McBride said the paper mistook Giles for another candidate while composing its political endorsement page.

"But given the political landscape with all the damn Republicans the way they are, I don't see how Giles could be much worse," McBride added.

In the gubernatorial race, Gov. Haley Barbour pushed hard for recognition in the African American community. The governor landed an endorsement from Mississippi Link publisher and owner Socrates Garrett last week, as well as black businessman Leroy Walker. Barbour's campaign announced both endorsements in a mail-out flier last month.

Walker described Barbour as "(knowing) what it takes to create jobs," while Garrett characterized Barbour as "(understanding) the obstacles facing minority-owned businesses in Mississippi."

Barbour's campaign erroneously depicted Garrett as a board member of 100 Black Men of Jackson in its mail-out flier, though Garrett said he is no longer a board member of that organization.

Previous Comments

ID
68168
Comment

Wow. I stopped reading the Advocate years ago so I missed this. They clearly have lost their minds, letting a mistake like that see print.

Author
Jeff Lucas
Date
2007-11-07T19:16:53-06:00
ID
68169
Comment

Wonders never cease...

Author
LatashaWillis
Date
2007-11-07T20:30:18-06:00

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