No Whites Allowed!

The Black Caucus has made it crystal clear: If you're white, you need not apply.

White liberal Stephen Cohen from Tennessee has dropped his bid to join the Congressional Black Caucus after several members have sent the message that whites will not be approved to join.

From The Politico:

Cohen said he became convinced that joining the caucus would be "a social faux pas" after seeing news reports that former Rep. William Lacy Clay Sr., D-Mo., a co-founder of the caucus, had circulated a memo telling members it was "critical" that the group remain "exclusively African-American."

Other members, including the new chairwoman, Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, D-Mich., and Clay's son, Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-Mo., agreed.

"Mr. Cohen asked for admission, and he got his answer. ... It's time to move on," the younger Clay said. "It's an unwritten rule. It's understood. It's clear."

The bylaws of the caucus do not make race a prerequisite for membership, a House aide said, but no non-black member has ever joined.

Rep. Pete Stark, D-Calif., who is white, tried in 1975 when he was a sophomore representative and the group was only six years old.

"Half my Democratic constituents were African American. I felt we had interests in common as far as helping people in poverty," Stark said. "They had a vote, and I lost. They said the issue was that I was white, and they felt it was important that the group be limited to African Americans."

OK, now close your eyes and imagine a Congressional White Caucus denying membership to black applicants... Yeah. It's not pretty, is it?

We all know that as long as you're a "minority," it's OK to be blatantly racist. Martin Luther King must be turning over in his grave.