Gov. Chris Christie Makes Racist Gaffe During Talk at Black Church

At St. Luke’s Baptist Church in Paterson, NJ, Republican Gov. Chris Christie referred to the first black female leader of the state Assembly by race and gender, not by name, during a discussion about school vouchers; the pastor has now asked that the governor apologize for that remark, the Huffington Post reports.

Christie told the group that an “African-American female speaker of the Assembly” is blocking a vote on a school voucher bill that “would let children in failing districts attend classes elsewhere.”

Democratic Speaker Sheila Oliver, to whom the governor was referring, and who represents a district with some “failing” schools later said she was “appalled” that Christie “injected race into the discussion on education.”

The pastor of the church called Christie’s comment “disrespectful” and said that Christie “missed a chance to unite the community.”