Correspondent Jessica Williams went to upstate New York on Thursday night’s episode of “The Daily Show” to change the racist town seal of Whitesboro.
The seal in question was designed in the early 1900s to illustrate a “friendly wrestling match between village founder Hugh White and an Oneida Indian,” according to the Associated Press, which White won.
When Williams pointed out that the seal looked like the white man was choking the Native American man, she suggested a vote to change it. But, as the mayor told her, the last time they tried to change it, no alternatives were presented.
“I got like a million ideas all the time,” Williams said. She submitted three serious ideas and two joke ideas for the seal. The vote got the attention of national media, including TPM.
As the the vote was happening, Williams ran into some interesting town characters.
One town man, who has worked with Native Americans and understands that there are “big issues,” said the seals boiled down to “white versus red.” When Williams pointed out his offensive rhetoric, he told Williams, “Well, at one point, that was part of your history, being a negro, right?”
Watch the clip, from Comedy Central, to see if the seal gets changed:
I had the dubious honor of growing up in Whitesboro. It’s an economically depressed former mill town in upstate New York. Everyone I knew in high school in the 70’s who had an ounce of ambition got out of town as soon as they could. That clip shows what was left behind.
Change is hard. Very, very hard.
" 'When Williams pointed out his offensive rhetoric, he told Williams, ‘Well, at one point, that was part of your history, being a negro, right’?"
…To which Williams could have replied: “Part of your history too… being an idiot and all.”
Well, at the end of the day, I’m glad they were able to solve racism.
Take that, Obama!
Meh, I say.
Meh.