Photo: North Carolina General Assembly
A white North Carolina lawmaker has apologized after asking his Black colleague a racially motivated question on the House Floor.
According to The News & Observer, GOP Rep. Jeff McNeely posed the question to Democratic Rep. Abe Jones, who is Black, during a discussion on the chamber floor about an education bill calling for extended requirements for the North Carolina Opportunity Scholarships.
McNeely started the question by pointing out how Jones attended public school before pursuing higher education at Harvard University and Harvard Law.
“And the question I guess is, would you have been able to maybe achieve this if you were not an athlete or a minority or any of these things, but you were a student trapped in a school?" McNeely asked.
House Democratic leader Robert Reives then raised a point of order on the floor, asking for clarification on the Republican lawmaker's remark.
“I did not say that. I said, would that, did that end up being one of the reasons? I do not know that. I asked him this," McNeely said. “I apologize, and I’ll refrain.”
Jones said he didn't know the answer to McNeely's question, but noted that he was ranked in group two on Harvard’s five-point scale.
“So I earned my place, and I did well,” the Democratic lawmaker said.
McNeely personally apologized to Jones and alleged lawmakers were misinterpreting his question.
“I assume he didn’t mean any harm to me,” Jones said amid the apology.
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