Chicago Mayoral Candidate Denies He Said ‘Whiteys,’ Demands Apology

An African-American candidate in Chicago’s mayoral race is backtracking after he apparently said that he isn’t prejudiced against “whiteys” during a Thursday speech.

Tina Sfondeles of the Chicago Sun-Times first reported that entrepreneur Willie Wilson made the racially charged comment during an address to the City Club of Chicago. The Sun-Times included audio of the remark in its story. The City Club has also shared a video of Wilson’s full speech (embedded below, remark at 19:10).

Race — specifically, housing segregation — has been a topic largely ignored in the lead-up to the mayoral election, as the Chicago Reader pointed out this week. It did come up briefly during a candidate debate on Tuesday. As The Atlantic reported this week, some urban policy experts feel ending segregation could be key to fighting poverty in Chicago and other cities. Meanwhile, the U.S. Supreme Court is set to rule this summer in a case that could undercut the federal Fair Housing Act.

In the latest poll of the mayor’s race, Emanuel received 41.7 percent over Garcia’s 16.6 percent and Wilson’s 9.7 percent. Almost a quarter of likely voters said they remain undecided.

The Huffington Post