Monday, March 3, 2008

Comments on Obama from Adelfa Callejo should draw scrutiny from Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert

By Shawn Williams of Dallas South

Adelfa Callejo (center)

Last week, Hispanic leader Adelfa Callejo added a disturbing commentary to the Democratic Presidential race. Because of her appointment to a city board by mayor Tom Leppert, her comments should be taken as more than just old conventional wisdom.

In a KTVT Channel 11 interview, the 84 year-old lawyer said “Obama simply has a problem that he happens to be black.” The Dallas Morning News went on to detail an interview with Ms. Callejo where she said Hispanics have told her that they have reservations about voting for a black politician because of experiences in the Dallas area, including fights over funding in the Dallas school district.

There’s more from the Morning News:

Ms. Callejo is entitled to her opinion. Her history as a lawyer and civil rights activist has earned her the right to speak her mind.

But the fact that Mayor Leppert appointed Callejo as chair of the Judicial Nominating Commission should give pause to many. The influential board is responsible for nominating judges to the City of Dallas’ municipal courts.

There is only one African-American male judge -Judge C. Victor Lander- serving a Dallas city court. I would think Ms. Callejo’s comments would be quite troubling to Judge Lander and others who would aspire to serve on a Dallas bench.

Though the contention between African-Americans and Hispanics in Dallas is well documented (especially in the school’s), the decision to extrapolate that into the presidential election was unnecessary. Black and Hispanic leaders are in Dallas and in Texas are working to leave the old days behind and move beyond that.

The support that Sheriff Lupe Valdez has received in the black community is evidence that the perception that blacks won’t support Latino’s is just not accurate. I suspect Ms. Valdez will do well among black voters in her bid to secure the Democratic Nomination even though she has African-American opponents in the primary.

And though Ms. Callejo’s views are not unique, they are not shared by all - especially young Latino’s. Take for example the One Latina’s Blog. There’s a post titled "Adelfa Callejo Is No Leader and Has No Influence Over Latino Voters Today."

There are also quotes from other Latinos referenced there:

One Latina’s Blog also rightly points out that Hillary Clinton did not initially “reject” or “denounce” Callejo’s comments, saying everyone has the right to their opinion. I agree with Ms. Clinton, but that’s not in concert with her position in Tuesday’s debate when the question regarded words Min. Louis Farrakhan had for Sen. Obama.

Mayor Leppert must examine these comments, their content and their intent. With such an important position as chair of Judicial Nominating Commission held by Ms. Callejo, its important that our courts and their judges are not clouded by opinions like those Callejo has recently expressed.

Pegasus News content partner - Dallas South
Shawn Williams publishes Dallas South Blog; his e-mail address is shawn@dallasouthblog.com.

See more stories in:

• Politics and Government > City Government > Dallas > Dallas City Hall
• Politics and Government > National > Federal Elections > President

Comments