Arizona has been at the forefront of national concerns about how we treat minorities in this country, which is a euphemized way of saying that it has developed a reputation for serious ethnic problems. State Rep. Cecil Ash‘s proposal that a Latin American celebratory holiday be accompanied by a statewide “Caucasian Day” is really not helping. Plus, don’t we already celebrate white people on July 4?

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Given the state’s rich history and diverse Latin American population, state Rep. Richard Miranda, a Democrat, proposed a Latin American day for the state on the legislature floor this week. State Rep. Ash challenged his proposal, saying in jest, “I’m supportive of this proposition… I just want them to assure me that when we do become in the minority you’ll have a day for us.” Given that many people were not that happy about the idea (though one lady interviewed suggested a white analog for Cinco de Mayo, apparently ignorant of Massachusetts’ Patriots’ Day), he had to clarify his comments. He made them somewhat worse by admitting to the local CBS affiliate that he was joking but, come to think of it, he doesn’t think it’s that bad of an idea:

“Yes, I think it was appropriate. It was appropriate for the mood that was in the House and I think that if and when the Caucasian population becomes a minority, they may want to celebrate the accomplishments and the contributions of the Caucasian population the same way,” Ash said.

No word on whether Ash is actually drafting legislation to make this happen, but one could imagine it would be an even bigger deal if he found he liked the attention he is getting for these comments and tried to follow through.

The interview where he explains via CBS 5 Arizona below:



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