Black Legislators attacked for defending senator who called blacks in Greene County "aborigines"

Birmingham, Al.

Bishop Calvin Woods

One week after three black legislators defended a white state senator's use of the word "aborigines" to describe blacks in Greene County, the legislators themselves are under attack from the Birmingham chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
SCLC's Birmingham chapter president, Bishop Calvin Woods, and former state Sen. Fred Horn, called a press conference Thursday in which they accused the three black lawmakers of attempting to sanitize the use of the word by Sen. Scott Beason, R-Gardendale.
"The three have defended the indefensible," Horn said.
The three -- Rep. John Rogers, Rep. Mary Moore and Rep. Juandalynn Givan -- signed a letter last week defending the use of the word aborigines by Beason. The three, all democrats, also defended Beason as someone they know and have worked with, and someone they said is not a racist.
Beason used the word to describe black customers of a west Alabama electronic bingo casino during a conversation in the Alabama State House almost two years ago. That conversation was picked up on a recording device Beason was wearing in cooperation with a federal probe into vote-buying involving electronic bingo legislation.
Beason apologized for his use of the word last year. But the language has stalked Beason, who is challenging incumbent U.S. Rep. Spencer Bachus in next month's GOP primary for the 6th Congressional seat.
Woods called on Beason to resign from the Legislature but didn't stop there.
"Those who try to clean up his (Beason's) comments and clean his mouth with Tide" should do the same, said Woods.
Rogers hit back.
"I've known Scott Beason a dozen years and I can tell you that Scott has worked with me on legislation to help poor people, black people, when nobody else would, including SCLC," said Rogers. "This is nothing but a pathetic attempt by an organization trying to remain relevant to call a press conference and criticize a person they don't know and have never worked with."